The Universe Will Die Without You
by The-EverLasting-Ash
Summary: It’s so different without you... sometimes it’s frightening. AU JeffxNess, JeffxTony, Other pairings in the future. Novelized version of Jeff's point of view in the game. Not completely canon, Paula's 8 yrs old. Dark themes Shonen-Ai/slash
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is both a shonen-ai fic, and Jeff's perspective of his adventure in Earthbound. I'm pretty sure most of you know what shonen-ai (or yaoi) means, but if you don't, just means it centers around a love pairing between two males. So if you don't like the idea, then please just leave and do yourself a favor. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy nonetheless :D _

_**Edit A/N 4/30/10:** Just in case if people notice, I guess I'm going to start editing my chapters now, because this website deleted my transition marks in my entire story :C I don't know yet when chapter 25 will be done yet, I'm kinda busy right now. Just two more weeks though. Sorry for the long wait;;_

_Anyways, here's chapter 1 again. If something is missing, let me know please. C:_

XxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_I hated waiting. I would have rather spent the rest of my afternoon helping Mr. Maxwell with another failed attempt at an invention. It wasn't the fact I was forced to wait outside the theater, I made that decision all on my own. I watched as others would pass by in the hall, their eyes were skeptical when they spotted me. They didn't know what to think of me. Others sat at least five chairs away from me, only to re-tie their laces, and be off again. No one wanted to be near me. _

_Everyone knew why. _

_As drama class was excused for the night, I patiently stood by the door. I couldn't help but cringe when the guys would be talking about "the big scene" that involved my best friend. But all that anguish was all gone when he smiled up at me. I could tell by his lit up tawny eyes that he was pleasantly surprised to see me._

_"Hey Jeff..." He said. I smiled; it was the first time I did so in almost a week._

_"Let's go" I told him; walking hand in hand with him through the halls, just like I vowed all those years ago. I promised that I would protect you, Tony. And I always will._

_I just don't know how to tell you... how I would have to leave you someday…_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxx_

She was crying, and calling for my help.

"If you can hear my voice, _please_! This is your friend Paula, and Ness! We are stuck, and we need your help! I am calling a friend whom I have never met! Jeff! Please start, and head south. Jeff! Please...you're our one and only hope!" She kept repeating in my mind. It was surprising in my opinion, how young this girl's voice was. It was more mature than anyone I had ever met, yet it kept the innocence of youth in less than ten years. I opened my eyes feeling as if I had finally awoken from a deep sleep. I had a destiny that I didn't quite understand. Though, I didn't know what exactly was in store for me, I knew that I had to get going at that very moment.

In the middle of the night.

Rising from bed, I immediately grabbed my shoulders. There was always snow up here in Winters. My messy blond hair got into my light green eyes, and tickled my freckled nose, something I wasn't used to without my square glasses. My hand roamed the tingling cold night stand as it felt the thin cooler metal, grasping it, and bringing it to my eyes once more. I've worn glasses ever since I could remember. I checked the clock, which read 2:17 am, a time I wasn't used to waking at unless if I needed to use the restroom. My feet protested stepping out of bed, realizing that I had to keep quiet getting dressed, especially since I was not alone. My roommate, Tony, was still in dreamland. It was a shame that his own best friend was to leave him before his fourteenth birthday. I was caught out of my reverie when I was startled by one's cute little voice.

"Hey, Jeff...I just had a dream...me and you were having a walk..." Tony yawned. It was embarrassing for me as he watched me zip up my school pants. Especially since the last few years at this boarding school, I might add, he's been shyer and shyer around me everywhere we went. Frankly, it was enjoyable nonetheless, how he dressed, his innocence, his cheeks flaring up as I helped him with our chemistry homework. It's just the way he is. It was just the way it was between us. Students, even teachers disagreed, and argued with their eyes gaping, as I would hold his hand, to escort him to the nurse from the other thugs in school, me getting away with a pair of busted lenses, and a bruise here and there. Though I have to admit, I am smarter than my classmen, even some of my superiors. Over time, everyone learned not to mess with me, or Tony as long as I was with him. Hah… maybe that's why he always stood so close to me in the halls.

"Happy birthday, Tony," I chuckled cheekily as I straightened my black bowtie around my button down shirt. He brushed his red hair out of his dozy tawny eyes. Though, we both knew better that he could see right through it.

"What's wrong…?" He asked sympathetically. All I could do was shrug.

"Wait...it's not even seven yet...why are you up so early putting on your uniform?" I was stuck. It was hard to explain, even I wasn't sure exactly where I was going, I could only trust my instincts. I traced the conversation into a different direction.

"Do you like your new hat?" I asked him. There went Tony with his cute little smile again, happily grabbing out his flat black hat that he surprisingly hasn't let go of since I gave it to him. He plopped it onto his curly red head, and grinned.

"I _love_ it Jeffery, and I always will!" He blushed. I couldn't help myself but smile back at him. I wanted to go over there, and pinch his adorable little cheeks. Wait, what was I thinking?

"That's good. It wouldn't have been good to get you something for your birthday that you didn't like." Tony nodded his head negatively.

"Anything you can give me, even just your presence means the world to me..." He smiled. My insides twisted as I sighed.

"I'll be right back, alright?" I muttered heading towards the door.

"What…? Wait! Jeff, just where do you think you're going? No one's supposed to be out in the halls this late!" Tony was worried for me again. What the heck was I going to reply with now?

"I..."

"I'll go with you...just in case...I won't be able to stop you anyways..." I sighed at his offer.

"Alright, alright, just don't slow me down," I told him as we entered the dim hallways.

xxxxx

Knowing that I had to go south, outside of the boarding school, I needed to optimize myself with protective equipment at the least. It was surprising how many kids were still awake at this hour I thought. Luckily for us, it was no one we either knew, or disliked, and wasn't fazed as we made our way downstairs to sneak into our science teacher's room, Mr. Maxwell who I might add was working on a project I wasn't even aware of. He seemed slightly startled as we approached him.

"Oh hey, Jeff and Tony! What are you two up to this late at night, getting a midnight snack?" Maxwell said putting down his wrench.

"Well…not exactly" I replied quietly. I wasn't sure what to say, yet here I was. The moment grew awkward for me.

"By the way, Tony, happy birthday, you just turned fourteen?" Tony nodded and smiled, a sense of worry appearing on his face. Maxwell sighed, glancing between the two of us.

"Ok, something is obviously up, especially with you, Jeff, you look stern and tense. _Don't _try hiding it from me. We both know how your actions speak much louder than your words." I winced averting my eyes and clenching my fists.

"It's time for you to leave, isn't it?" He said. I swallowed my pride and looked him in the eye and nodded. "That means you'll have to run into _him_…" My sigh was staggered and full of venom. I felt Tony put a hand on my shoulder.

"I shouldn't say this, but I actually wished he was here right now, he would probably be able to figure out the mess I'm in right now, since they claim he's smarter than Einstein or Heisenberg…" Maxwell sighed rubbing the back of his neck. Both of us drifted our eyes to a very sad looking Tony. I frowned.

"Well, you need some crap to take along with ya, right? Here…" He handed me an old key.

"Take whatever's in my locker room. You never know, there could be something useful in there. And don't worry. Tony and I won't ruin your reputation here, right?" We both saw the pain in his light brown eyes as he nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry, Jeff...we'll just say that you transferred for a little while..." Tony's voice faltered towards the end of the sentence. I furrowed my eyebrows as we took the key, and headed into his locker room, which was more of a storage room now, filled with science projects, and tools for different classes. Tony didn't make one peep as I tried every locker with the key. Every time, the key failed.

"Is this key bad, or something? I can't seem to unlock any of these!"

"Maybe...he gave you the wrong key..." Tony's eyes were averted to the ground when I looked at him. I sighed.

"Ok, let's go back, and ask" I said.

xxxxx

"Hehe, I thought that may have been a problem, considering how many times that single key has been used, we never used the budget to get duplicates. So, I made this today, just in case, it's the bad key machine! Made for when you have a slightly bad key!" He chuckled as he handed me the gadget.

"How the heck do you predict the future so vividly?" I asked. "And why didn't you just hand us the gadget in the first place?!" There he went with that laugh.

"It's no different from a hypothesis, believe me. We were bound to need something like this in the future one of these days. Now that should work, alright? Come back to me if you have any questions. Otherwise *yawn* I'm heading off to bed, I'm beat!" He stretched. I felt my smile curve upwards.

"Alright...thanks, really, I needed something like this. Maybe I'll be able to unlock the front gates with this," I thought out loud. Our teacher threw out a finger.

"No can do, I'd need to make a Grand bad key machine to open that lock. You're stuck with only unlocking the simple stuff with that." My smile disappeared.

"But as a bonus, I'm letting you keep that with you. Who knows? You may need it..." I nodded as I headed out the door.

"Oh, and Jeff?" I looked around my shoulder. Our teacher yawned again.

"Good luck, bad boy. You really need it," He smiled. I paused for a moment before waving him goodbye silently before heading back to the locker room.

xxxxx

Unlike the slightly bad key, this machine opened every locker with ease so far. The first one I unlocked had a bread roll. I was skeptical at first, but decided why the heck not? I only had two dollars, and food would have to be a necessity eventually. It was when I made my way towards the back row of lockers that Tony accidentally made contact with my arm. I looked at him as he shied from the look, cheeks tinting a soft pink.

"I...I'm sorry!" He apologized. I smiled honestly in reply before resuming what I was doing, grabbing out a pop gun in the process, which I was surprised to find. Tony made a quiet sound. It was small, but it was enough to get my attention. I sighed.

"You can head back to the dorm if you're tired Tony. You still have to get up early for school..." I was caught off guard as his hand was struggling to gravitate towards me. I was in a matter of seconds when Tony tackled his body into mine, pushing my back against the locker, almost forcefully, and nuzzled his forehead into my chest. I felt my blood rush to my cheeks, and my heart starting to race slightly. His embrace was tight, he obviously didn't want to let go, his hands grasping the back of my coat. I haven't been hugged like this in years it seemed. Have I ever been hugged before? My arms were shaken, as I tried to return the gesture, eventually wrapping my arms around his back, and resting my chin on his curly red head, for his little black hat fell on the floor. He was shaking, or was it shivering? It shocked me as I heard Tony weeping. He said something, but his mouth was smothered in my chest so much, that it was hard to decipher exactly what he was trying to tell me. He seemed to repeat it, until I caught on.

"I don't want you to go...why are you leaving on my birthday?" I squeezed him tighter, but was silent listening to his next bundle of words, "You're my...best friend..._why_..." We stayed like this for what seemed several moments, just holding each other alone in the locker room, our grips softening over time.

"It's not like I want to leave on your birthday..."  
"Then _don't!_ Just stay here until my birthday is over. I wanna _celebrate_ with _you_..." He replied. I sighed, bringing my hands to his shoulders, to slowly separate our bodies. My eyes hardened when I saw his eyes weak from flooding, his entire face a shade of magenta, and damp from his sobbing. I rested my forehead against his. Both of our eyes averted to the ground.

"I don't know if I've ever told anyone this, but...I knew deep inside me all my life, that something like this was going to happen. Right at the very worst moment. Right when I have to leave behind what I've worked so hard to earn. Believe me, Tony, leaving you is the last thing I want to do. But if it's to prevent something horrible from happening to our planet, to our home...to you...I'll do anything with my power to stop it. That's why I have to leave...but I promise...I'll come back, just for you." I spoke softly, feeling the heat rise to both of our cheeks once more. His mouth curved slightly up.

"And...I promise that I'll stay out of trouble for you...I'll try to find something to laugh about each day..." He said, the weepiness still lingering in the edge of his voice. I couldn't prevent my smile from happening. His hands squeezed my sleeves.

"Can...can I open at least a couple of my presents with you...before you leave?" Tony asked timidly. I breathed.

"Alright. I'll do it just for you," I said as I raised my head away from his. However, Tony refused to move as his eyes became cloudy again from tears.

"Hey..." I cupped my hand to his chin and lifted it to see his timid sparkling tawny eyes.

"Chin up, alright? I promise I'll write to you, to keep you updated on what I'm up to." I smiled softly as we looked into each other's eyes for a moment until I couldn't help but bring my lips to his forehead. I chuckled inwardly as I heard a shy squeak escape his lips. I removed mine, and ruffled my fingers through his hair, almost getting tangled in the process. When I saw a smile spread across his now brilliant red face, I grabbed his hand.

"I need to open a couple more lockers, alright?" Tony nodded in response as our fingers intertwined.

xxxxx

The last somewhat useful item I found in any of the lockers was a broken spray can (or air gun). I figured after examining it for a little bit, over time, I'd be able to pin spot the problem, and tackle it, and put it to use once more. When we were off, Tony wrapped his arms around my right one, and refused to let go. I wasn't sure how I was going to get rid of my little leech soon. Up the stairs, the room we went in, wasn't even our own. Instead, we went into the dorm next ours, which belonged to some of his other good friends from his drama, and theater class. We always heard them acting next door if we really needed our sleep, practicing for their next big stage scene.

"Tony! Oh, and Jeff. Happy birthday, Tony!" One of his friends cheered.

"Wait, Nathan, weren't we going to surprise him in the morning?" Another one of the kids said.

"Well, he's here now, so we might as well turn on the lights." Both of us squinted as we saw multiple presents spread out on the floor wrapped identically, scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon here and there.

"*Guuuh… Geez, everyone, its three o' clock in the frigging morning..." Another one yawned before realizing who had entered the room. "Oh, Tony! Happy birthday...why are you up so late...? Why are you with _Jeff_?" Some of the guys "ooed."

"Maybe they-" Nathan covered one of their mouths.

"Maybe, it's none of your business! Well...we don't have the balloons yet, Tony, I hope you don't mind!" Tony gravitated away from my arm, and finally had a sense of happiness appear on his features.

"It's alright...umm...I know this might sound too early, but can I open three of my presents? Before Jeff...has to leave?" He asked fiddling his fingers together looking shyly over his shoulder towards me. One of his friends awed before they were silenced by Nathan.

"Its fine with us, it's your birthday after all! Right, guys?" The other three boys agreed. All of us in the room sat in a circle, me sitting between one of the boys, and Tony, who sat next to Nathan on his other side. I couldn't shed off the feeling of awkward eyes glancing at my nerdy appearance, especially Nathan, whom seemed to have some sort of "disapproval of me" Though I might add, he was a total fruit in my opinion, so maybe it was the way I dressed in my uniform? My glasses? I had no frigging clue. Well...maybe I did.

"I'm picking this one first, because this one looks like it got the best wrapping job!" Tony smiled.

"That's from me!" One of the boys said in the circle as his friends joked along. I smiled modestly, my eyes locked to his cheeky expression as he opened his first present, which was a chocolate chip cookie, moderately fresh from the cafeteria, and made especially for him.

"A cookie! I love cookies!" He smiled bringing his gift to his nose. "Was this cookie made fresh today?" He asked. One of the boys nodded. "Yup. If you like that gift, hopefully, you'll like the next gift!" Tony grabbed the second neatest present that read on the package in neat writing "_To Tony__,__ From Nathan."_ "OOooo, I wonder what this could be?" Tony spoke sarcastically. When he opened yet another pink box, inside was another big cookie, this time a peanut butter one.

"I love peanut butter! Thank you so much!" Tony gave Nathan a hug, while Nathan smirked evilly at me.

"My pleasure is always yours, Tony" Nathan smiled. Tony's third present expectedly was a cookie, this time shaped as a star with green and yellow sprinkles on it, Tony's top two favorite colors. I watched as Tony grazed his fingers over the multi colored sprinkles, almost awed at all the different cookie possibilities the future held for him. I was caught out of my reverie when Tony pushed all his cookies towards me.

"Jeff...pick one..." He asked his voice becoming quieter though everyone could see.

"Tony, they're _your_ cookies, not mine. I'm not allowed to pic-"

"Yes, they _are_ mine. And I want _you_ to _pick_ one of _my_ cookies" He emphasized. Even as a genius as I was, some of his mind tricks still left me dumb struck.

"If you don't have a preference, than take this one..." He mumbled handing me the box with the peanut butter cookie inside.

"But you love-"

"Just _**take it**__, please!!_" He ordered. Even Tony could make me feel smaller than him sometimes, obviously now was one of them. There was a tense silence in the room, Tony's eyes shut tightly, refusing to look at me.

"I...I'm so sorry, everyone. It's so...wonderful, guys, you really didn't have to..." His voice started cracking. Except I knew what was going to happen.

"I'll...I'll keep all these gifts in our refrigerator so they don't get-"

"No, We'll put them in our refrigerator...you go and get some rest, alright, and we'll talk to you again in the morning" Nathan replied rubbing his back as he gave me a cold glare, in which I mirrored back at him. I tried ignoring the peanut butter cookie, but Tony picked it up for me, and put it in my saddle bag almost forcefully, until I took his place and put it in my bag instead. Nathan glared at me, and muttered, "Jeff...I can't believe you would do something so _nasty_." I wanted to greet his face with my fist, but refused when Tony grabbed my arm, and dragged me outside the room.

"Bye...Tony?"

xxxxx

We stood silently in the hall holding hands leaning our backs on the wall outside of our dorm. I sighed, not meaning it to sound aggravated.

"Tony…I have to go soon, you know that, right?" I tried to keep my voice in a monotone manner, but Tony still squeezed my hand.

"I know…" He obviously wanted to keep me from leaving.

"Please don't get yourself hurt…" He started to sound weepy again. My eyes widened.

"What makes you think I'll get hurt?" I chuckled. Tony shook his head.

"Just _don't_, alright? I have no idea where you're going, or why, but obviously it's important and possibly dangerous…" I frowned.

"And don't do anything bad either, if you do, I'll rip your head off, got it?" My entire being shuttered from his bitter tone.

"I _promise_ I won't do anything too reckless, alright?" I gave him a crooked smile. Tony looked down at me, though I still towered over him by a few inches.

"_Too reckless?_ You can't even go through a chemistry lab class without making _something_ explode, nonetheless Maxwell _still_ rewards your bold, yet correct efforts" Tony muttered. My chuckle was nervous as Tony sighed. He enclosed the space between us by giving me a tight hug. Though I have known Tony for almost all my life, I was always caught off guard when he made contact with me. My heart skipped a beat.

"How are you going to face your dad if you run into him?" My eyes hardened as I looked in the distance.

"I honestly don't know…" I replied. I wasn't sure if I should be happy to see him, or if I would want to rip out his intestines.

"Just be careful" He said letting go so he wouldn't get too attached, grabbed my arm and literally pulled me down stairs.

xxxxx

We said nothing as we made our way down to the front doors, and outside. The only thing that seemed to block my path now was a lone pair of gates, locked with multiple locks, including number combinations. Now I understood why the bad key machine wasn't going to work.

"There's gotta be a way for you to reach the other side..." He said letting go of my arm and running up to the gates. He looked up, the snowflakes started coating both of our faces. I walked up to him, my feet crunching the snow beneath my shoes.

"What are you looking for-" My cheeks turned pink when I was caught slightly off guard. Tony got on all fours, and looked at me, his cheeks the same color as mine, steam rising from his slightly open mouth, and nostrils.

"Wha..._what are you..._"

"Climb on my back...I'll give you a boost over the fence" He said. My eyebrow perked up.

"Are you sure you can lift me up there?"

"We won't know if we don't try..." He smiled slightly, his fists balling up in protest from the snow. I nodded silently, as I used my best friend as a toad stool.

"I'm gonna stand up now...so keep your balance with the gate..." I heard him say before I was slowly risen to the top of the gate. Once he was actually standing, and I was balanced on his shoulders, I was able to get myself to the top of the gate, and jump down to the other side. My landing wasn't the most graceful thing in the world, Tony gasping my name as if I got wounded pretty badly. I stood up almost immediately, brushing the snow off my uniform, and turned to him.

"I'm, alright, Tony, see?" I said as I brushed some of his hair out of his face. Tony smiled worryingly, grabbing my hand, and locking his fingers into mine.

"Please be careful...I'll be thinking of you everyday...you're my best friend and always will be..." He said, eyes hardening. I frowned.

"I promise, I'll be fine. But please, just don't think of me too much, your school is much more important than me. Make it a priority, alright? When I come back, I want to see some more B's on your report card at the least." Tony gave me a firm squeeze, and then let go slowly.

"Get to bed, alright? I'll see you in the..." I sighed, as I realized the sudden truth. "Just...have a good birthday, alright?" I said. Tony nodded slowly.

"Goodbye...Jeff" He mumbled before turning to the school. I watched him enter inside the doors before I was off on my new journey.


	2. The Unforgiving Face

_**A/N 4/30/10:**__ I feel like sort of re-writing this one. At least the section between Jeff and his dad. Sorry for the long wait for my chapters. I'm finally out of school now, and I'm going to try and get the next chapter done soon. I can't seem to promise when things will get updated, can I? :C Anyways, please enjoy this revised chapter. _

XxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxX

_In my class I was known as the kid that never uttered a word when I first stayed at the boarding school program. I was seemingly a lifeless doll that could magically walk, breath, eat, use the restroom... Everyone thought I had a communication disability, or I spoke a different language. But no one seemed to try to break me out of my shell… until I met Maxwell for the first time._

_ He was more withdrawn back then, and he didn't have as much goofball humor. Maybe he loosened up because of me that day..._

_ I was upset. Every day seemed to be a living nightmare. A group of boys finally had the guts to corner me. They wanted me to speak. I never made eye contact ever I was more withdrawn than Maxwell, as I would try to hide my eyes behind my square glasses, and blond bangs. _

_ "Why won't you say anything, __**Jeff**__?_ _That's your name, isn't it? Can you tell me that's your name?" He spat tauntingly in my face, pulling me up by the collar. I knew I was intimidated, but it meant nothing to me at the time. _

_ "Do you miss your __**mommy**__?" The other kid spat playfully. I winced._

_ "Hehe, well you won't be able to see her in another year! Just face it you're a stuck duck, just like everyone else! So why don't you say something back, __**baby?**__" It was then that I heard Mr. Maxwell's voice for the first time._

_ "That's enough from you three!" Mr. Maxwell ordered the three boys as they snickered and entered the room. I didn't look at my savior, but I knew he smiled down to me, ushering me in the classroom._

_ I know now he only wanted to help me, but I wanted to keep my distance from everyone. He taught science, a subject I hated at the time. From my homework, he could tell that I wasn't disabled, but he could also tell that I wasn't motivated in this new world I was stuck in either. Each and every class, he would ask questions. I never raised my hand, but he tried asking me easy things like what lights up the sky during the day, and what we use to breathe. Though in reality, all he wanted was to hear my voice._

_ It was show and tell day. Everyone had something to share with the class. But I had nothing. He tried me once and a while, but I ended up being the last one to present in the class. _

_ "Jeff, would you like to tell us something about you?" Maxwell asked politely. "You don't have to stand in front of the class or anything, just tell us something about yourself." I was silent, averting my eyes under my desk._

_ "Ok... would you like to tell us your favorite color, or maybe your favorite animal or food?" I could tell Maxwell was beginning to become impatient, but he didn't seem to give up._

_ "Can you tell us when your birthday is? Maybe your favorite book or toy? Or I know! Maybe you could share with us something about your family. I've met your father before he's truly a brilliant man!" I looked at him in the eyes. It was the first time in three weeks that I had made eye contact with anyone, and he felt as if he had made some progress._

_ "Yes, please tell us something about your father, maybe your mother?" I became hostile of the situation when I was finally able to stand up._

_ "Yes, that's it, we would all love to hear-" With all my strength and anger, I tossed my desk angrily towards the teacher. The boys in the room were caught out of their daydreams, their reveries from the tension in the air as I coldly glared up at Mr. Maxwell, who had taken three giant steps back. I was so tempted to hurt someone that day. His timid eyes were looking down at someone that was almost twenty years younger than him. Anger. Tragedy. That was all I knew back then. _

_ The dilemma didn't get me detention, but I was sentenced to spend a half an hour with Maxwell after school every single day for the rest of my boarding school career. I still didn't say anything, but that was fine. _

_ "I am so sorry..." Maxwell spoke to me that first afternoon. I could have smiled back at him, but I was too weak from the sudden interaction that day. He gave me an A on the project, no questions asked. He knew exactly what I had shared to him that class. _

_ Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words._

XXXXXXX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter two The Unforgiving Face_

_XxxxxxxxxXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX_

The night was sarcastically pretty, but extra frosty in my opinion. It always kept a nostalgic cheery spirit up here in Winters. I decided, since it was so close by, to head into the small store that was open 24/7 it seemed. It was surprising, to see how many adults were actually shopping at this time. I hadn't realized how cold I actually was, until I entered the warm, cozy shop.

I shivered madly, feeling my teeth clatter together as I grasped my shoulders to hug myself warm. Soon, I could have sworn I felt a tug on my pants, but I chose to ignore it. I walked up to the register.

"Hello! What's a school kid like you sneaking out of the dorms this late at night? You're not sneaking out here to buy some tobacco, are you?" One of the managers asked, as they carried a box of what looked like a set of hot coco packages through the door behind the counter. I shook my head in denial.

"No no, I'd never do that," I replied, as another worker had popped out of the door. She was an elderly woman, wearing what seemed to be a hand-knitted and hand-patched sweater. She gave me a smile, before seemingly recognizing my appearance.

"Wait a second you're that Jeff kid aren't you?" The she asked. I could only grin nervously and sarcastically. "That really smart quiet kid?" The other manager had walked out free-handed asked. I bit my lip.

"You mean that boy that hangs out with that cute little Tony?" She smiled. I really didn't want to create more attention, so I quickly lied.

"No... You're mistaken me of my twin brother, actually. My real name is Tim," I said suddenly. Both of them nodded with slight confusion written on their faces. But as soon as they gave up on the topic, I sighed.

"Alright, Tim... Well, what do you wanna buy?" I looked at the merchandise. Anything that was less than two dollars seemed to be packs of bubble gum. I frowned, looking at the only two dollars I had as I picked up the pack of bubble gum. Damn shops charging more money in less crowded communities! It was during this self-debate in my mind that I felt my pants slightly tug down to my waist. Flushing, I swiftly spun around to see in my surprise, a small red monkey tugging at my pants. I raised my eyebrow. What was a monkey doing here, in a place like "Winters" anyways?

Staring down to the monkey, he could only look back up at me with these deep chocolate eyes. As he tilted his head with his expectant expression, I could only cock my own. He seemed to be expecting something… Soon enough, and randomly, the monkey started dancing wildly, pointing at the shelves and at my hand, generally at the gum.

"That monkey seems to like you, young man..." A lady said sneaking besides me closely, swiftly snatching the pack of bubble gum out of my hand. Feeling my space being invaded, I scooted away from her a couple of inches, glancing her an awkward glance.

"You can keep that monkey if you buy that pack of bubble gum for a dollar. But only if you buy the gum, I can't give you the monkey for free," She said waving the pack of bubble gum in my face. My face must have looked perplexed by her offer. She looked possessive, standing only two inches away. Just who the hell was this lady, soliciting a school kid for money? I shrugged sighing with annoyance.

"Fine, I'll buy the pack of bubble gum if you leave me alone." I grumbled, taking the pack of bubble gum from her as I walked towards the counter. The old lady had rung me up, smiling happily.

"There you go young man, now don't go freezing out there, and have a good night!" She spoke, before walking into the back room. I could only nod in response, as the other lady swung behind the counter.

"And thank you for taking that monkey off of our hands, he's been nothing but trouble," She spoke, before dashing into the back room, as I heard her voice in the background saying something about being able to support her family and kids now. I felt so swindled then…_damn_.

I sighed as the monkey took the pack of bubble gum out of my hand, and started unwrapping a piece to chew it. I looked down at the small animal. What was I to do with this little guy? I watched him chew his gum. Apparently this monkey liked gum...a little too much. Then...wha? My eyes shot open. Looking around me, no one seemed to be in the room to see.

The monkey blew a giant bubble, bigger than any of the students could. But what caught me off guard was that the _bubble made the monkey float to the ceiling of the shop_. Statistically, this was impossible, but I was witnessing it on first hand. First off, there wasn't enough gum to even support the monkey in the air. And second off, carbon dioxide doesn't rise for it was heavier than oxygen… so did this monkey magically have helium breath? Did she hand me an unordinary pack of bubble gum? Studying the package, I couldn't tell. What a weird monkey I thought. After a moment, the monkey sucked the bubble back into his mouth, and chewed again. I studied the monkey for a moment, as I put the pack in my pants pocket. My first taste of the unordinary that I've been waiting to witness for a long while? Possibly. I chuckled to myself. I guess I wasn't going to be alone after all finding these people I didn't even know. They could have been anywhere. Pamela…Paula? She had told me clearly that they were in a place called Threed down south from where I lived, wherever that may be. I sighed, and left the shop, the bubble-blowing monkey trailing behind me, sometimes not all together, and spacing out.

I wondered, what exactly was going to happen to me ahead? Until I remembered a certain laboratory that had been recently discovered…

I cringed to myself. And it wasn't the bitter cold that caused it.

xxxxx

The trail was covered in snow, hell, everything was covered in snow, but I trusted the multiple foot prints on the ground to lead me the correct way, all the while thinking about where I was headed. I kept myself from getting too upset balling up my fists; but though the knuckles became as white as the snow, my mind could not stop the images from pressing into my mind. A silhouette; through a doorway… just for a moment; glasses gleaming from the light behind. Expressionless; hidden face, looking down at me in shame. I shook my head violently, before my entire body shook.

Looking over my shoulder to see if bubble monkey was in eye distance, I let off a staggered breath, watching the steam escape my mouth. I could hear barking in the distance, as the monkey caught up to me. Something in my chest turned uncomfortably, as I heard the sound of a growl, nearby. Looking around me swiftly, I dug my fingers into my shoulder bag, digging out the cheap pop gun I had been given from school… just in case. Before, I could really react once I spotted something, a dog had been running wildly around in circles. Once it spotted me, it seemed to freak out at my presence, charging and growling roughly. I was slightly alarmed by the dog's odd behavior, even moreso as I saw the creature lunge out to me, before I could really react. I yelped, wrestling the dog off my arm, in which it desperately tried chewing at my arm. When I managed to try kicking the dog off, bubble monkey managed to tackle the dog off me. I stumbled to my feet, feeling relieved that the dog wasn't able to puncher through my skin. I exhaled heavily, quickly aiming the pop gun towards the mad dog. The dog was foaming, as it hissed at me bitterly. I winced, froze if you will, first instinct, not wanting to hurt the animal. But on second thought, I hoped to god, even if I wasn't religious, that this dog didn't have rabies. The dog lunged at me again in attempt to be in control. I dodged quickly, and actually pulled the trigger at the dog. Instead of a bullet coming out of the gun, it was a laser that didn't seem to physically harm the dog, but it phased it pretty good, as it shook its head violently. My heart was racing. I had never seen a dog act so vile before…. Bubble monkey lunged at the dog, and hit it on the head. And for some odd reason, that did it, as the dog became tame, running away from us. I straightened my glasses, and huffed, seeing the puff of steam race away from my nostrils in the wind once more. I looked down at my gun. The fact that I was carrying some sort of gun in the first place for violence… even if it was to protect myself, made me wince. Bubble monkey however, got my attention again, pointing down the trail again. I sighed.

"Fine fine, I'm coming," I told him, as if he could understand.

xxxxx

I continued on the trail, running into some more dogs, and crows with the exact problem. Now that I think back at it, weren't all those animals a slight shade of green? I probably wasn't going to look at a dog the same way again after this cold night.

I soon spotted a tent in the distance, so I decided to go after it. Dodging a couple enemies along the way, including a goat that spotted me in the distance, I eventually tripped over my untied shoes laces and fell in front of the tent, which was wide open, and two kids; who happened to be a couple of classmates from school and science class, were cuddled around a pot over an open fire. They looked down at me until they recognized who I was from their chemistry class. This was sort of awkward, I thought.

"Hey! It's Jeff!" One of the boys, named Issac pointed.

"Hey, get in here Jeff before anyone see's you!" The other, who was Pete laughed. All of us, including bubble monkey were huddled around the pot of what looked like tomato soup I figured from a can of some sort judging by its generic smell. They provided me a warm wool blanket over my shoulders which I took generously.

"Why are you two out here in the middle of the night? Why are there so many tents in the distance?" I shivered. Pete sipped his tea.

"_You know_… it's the Tessie watching club, Jeff! We're out here looking for the magnificent Tessie out in the lake!" I huffed at his response. The Tessie watching club, I thought… how ridiculous. It was a club at school, who believed Tessie, a mythical creature, really existed in the depths of the Lake Tess… But as soon as I thought back at what had been happening to me recently… I had started to wonder. What if the rumors really were true? …

Still, I thought it was a ridiculous assumption.

"Why are so many students here so interested in some mythical creature anyways?" I muttered to myself, deep in thought. Neither of them responded.

"Of course, we're on our break at the moment, but don't be alarmed if you find more kids, and official club members outside," Pete told me.

"Ahh…" I could only respond. A moment of pause, as I let my eyes stare into the small flame below the pot.

"By the way, Jeff, we should be asking _you_. Why are you out here so late at night? Aren't you going to celebrate Tony's birthday with him? And..." Issac pointed at bubble monkey, which tried sticking his finger into the pot. I swatted his hand softly, and he backed off.

"Did you buy that monkey from the store by the school?" Issac joked. Both of them laughed. I chuckled slightly.

"He should be our new mascot! SnowWood boarding monkeys… wait...is he chewing gum?" Pete asked. I took the spoon to my mouth.

"Yeah...I had to pay a buck for it. This lady said she needed it to 'support her children' in the other room after I bought it," I shrugged. "Though that was just a joke I wasn't supposed to hear, I think they just wanted the animal out of their store." Pete snorted to himself.

"How the hell can she support her kids with one dollar? You can't even buy a bag of crackers at that store without having at least 3 dollars." Pete replied. I shook my head, brushing the joke aside.

"Didn't you guys see a bunch of rabid animals out there? I was attacked by multiple crows, and dogs on my way here… What the hell is going on around here?" I asked curiously. However both of them looked at each other in confusion.

"What are you talking about, rabid animals? Those dogs belong to the Tessie watching club. They're guarding the tents. Maybe you were suspicious to them, considering you were heading your way here. But rabid crows? When the heck does a crow attack a human?" They both laughed. I frowned at this. Only me? My expression must have looked grumpy.

Issac leaned to Pete and whispered into his ear, even though I could clearly hear what he was saying.

"Well I have been seeing a lot of mountain goats lately. But I wonder why he's out in the middle of the night, talking about rabid animals?" I growled to myself in frustration.

"Alright, _fine_" I said. All of us sighed. We were all silent for a moment. I started to fiddle with my black bowtie around my neck, my mind still in deep thought. I bit my lip.

"Please don't say anything to Tony, alright?" Both of them gave me a skeptical look.

"Why, are you running away or something?" There was another moment of silence until I sighed.

"I got Tony a new hat. He got pranked one day; someone must have taken his hat and tried to flush it down the toilet. He was pretty devastated, his grandfather gave it to him before he passed away," I explained. Both of them "ooed" for some odd reason I didn't understand.

"That poor Tony...I don't understand why some guys at school are so mean to him… So what if he's somewhat different, he doesn't do anything bad… he just does what he loves; theater and art. It still amazes a lot of us how you two with such drastically different characteristics still can be best friends like you are today," Issac said.

"Yeah, he seems really fond of you, Jeff," Pete continued. As he said that, I thought back to earlier tonight, as he held the new hat to himself, smiling. I tried hiding a slight blush across my right cheek by keeping my expression slightly on the stern side.

"Yeah... hopefully, he can keep up with school, I always helped him with his homework after school... just hope he'll be ok without me." I mumbled.

"Wait, what was that last part?" Pete asked. My eyes perked up as I realized how quiet my ramblings became.

"Oh nothing, I just...erm...hope he does well whenever I'm not with him, that's all," I scratched my head in embarrassment.

"Like right now?" Issac said. I snorted, keeping that thought on the edge of my mind as I stood up, keeping my eyesight away from them.

"Thanks for the soup and tea guys, I'll see you later" I grumbled stepping outside the tent, bubble monkey trailing behind me, holding my bowl in his hands.

"Jeff?" They both said in unison until I was positive they shrugged and minded their own business.

My mind trailed to memories of Tony for a little while after.

xxxxx

I was amazed at how many people were out, with binoculars, and clip boards. Apparently the Tessie Watching Club was more popular than I thought. Luckily for me, no one even minded that I had escaped from my dorms, and actually invited me to go sight searching for their "beloved" Tessie. I was far enough to where I was surrounded by a bunch of tents, the area a glow with candles here and there. I shivered again, looking down to bubble monkey. How could the little guy deal with this freezing weather? I dug through my bag for a moment, until I found a scarf. I knelt down to the monkey.

"You need this?" I asked the monkey. The monkey touched the scarf, but only looked up at me with that weird expression of his. I just shook my head, and decided to wrap the scarf around his neck. Bubble monkey tugged at the scarf for a moment, until he seemed satisfied. Standing back up, I let my eyes drift over to the waters. We were all by Lake Tess's shore. I fixed my eyes out in the distance, watching the ripples of the dark lake reflect the soft glows of the candles in the distance, and the snow floating down and disappearing in darkness. It was beautiful nonetheless. Still, I frowned to myself.

"Hey, where's your stuff?" A member of the group spoke as he walked up to me. I hoped he wasn't going to send me back or something.

"I just wanted to see what all the gathering was for… that's all," I replied. I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't tell me to get out or anything.

"Oh, sneaked out to see the magnificence I see. It's alright, none of us really mind. However none of us are taking responsibility either. Come and go as you please, there's a tent over there where you can camp out for the night. You look like you've been through some rough stuff anyways. Why don't you get some of those scratches taken care of, and get some rest?" The man suggested. I nodded.

"Thanks you," I replied.

xxxx

Inside the tent, there was nothing but a lantern, another wool blanket, and a man, who was oddly walking around the tent with his binoculars on. Maybe he was trying to test the lenses… or something. Still it didn't make much sense, as he looked at me through the lenses.

"Hey, you look extremely tired there, do you need some stew, and a place to rest?" He asked. "You look familiar… and you came from school, didn't you?" He asked I figured that I'd need to sleep for I wasn't going to make it south in less than a night.

"Yeah… Do I need to pay something?" I asked.

"No no, you don't need to pay me anything, just relax..." He eyed my monkey companion.

"And...I guess your monkey friend can stay as well. But whatever _droppings_ he leaves, you pick up, alright?" I sighed, but agreed, looking down at the monkey. Hopefully he was potty trained to some degree.

"Aight."

"Good! Just make yourself at home. Take as much stew and tea you'd like, I'm going outside for a while," He said walking outside the tent. Since I already had something to eat in the other tent, I went straight towards the wool blanket and wrapped myself, still shivering from the bitter cold. At least the boiling pot and the candle-lit lantern kept things slightly toastier than outside of the tent.

My mind shuffled between wandering and thinking. The more I wandered, the more I thought about the person I wanted to forget existed. But the more I thought about him, the more, I realized how scared I was… Grasping my forehead firmer, I tried thinking away from that path… think of Tony… Maxwell… anybody but him. But nonetheless, no matter how much I tried, he was still there, lingering in the dark corners of my afterthoughts. I must have made a disturbed sound, as bubble monkey got my attention, tugging at the cover I was under. I looked up to the monkey with blurry eyes. I sat up then, placing my now freezing glasses on my nose again. I couldn't sleep anyways… disturbing thoughts always kept myself awake.

I decided to brainstorm for a while, thinking as I took out my little red tool box, and examining the broken spray can I had been lugging around school for a while. Something was wrong with the tube going into the can, and the connection with the sprayer. I had to a line it somehow, but then prevent it from getting out of line again. It took around a half an hour, but eventually, I put the handy tools to work, fixing, and adjusting, until the broken spray can was broken no more. It was kind of useless though, for it was an insecticide spray. What kind of bug would live up here? But I figured there would be more insects the more south I traveled, so I decided to keep it in my inventory for now, and turned off the lantern, and I finally felt myself drift off into sleep.

xxxxx

"_Jeff! Jeff, please… if_ _you can hear me, it's your friend in which you have never met before, Paula! If you get my message, please...head south...you are the only one that can help! Ness and I are still waiting for you to come!_ _Please Jeff… I'm begging; you're our only hope!_" She spoke desperately into my mind until I snapped my eyes open. Jumping up frantically, I recoiled slightly as the realization hit that I had just woken up. The bitter air clashed with my sweat covered forehead. Grabbing my shoulders, curled up into a ball, I shivered to myself.

"Hey, kid, you alright? You look like you had a nightmare... did you run away from home?" Another man asked in the tent. I was still slightly flustered at the time, but I shook my head.

"I...guess you could say that..." I replied, roaming around for my glasses.

"Looking for these?" He said handing me my glasses. "Your monkey friend was playing with them, so I took them from him before he could do anything harsh." He replied. I had forgotten that I had just slept in my uniform over the night. I stood up, and checked my watch, which read 6:39 am. I had only slept for a couple of hours?

"Where's the monkey?" I asked. He pointed outside the tent.

"The last time I saw him, he was playing by the shores, why is he yours?" He asked.

"I...guess. Thanks" I nodded as I left the tent.

It was definitely brighter outside, with the sun just grazing the horizon. But the wind had picked up as well, and it was very cold, it sent shivers down my spine. Why the hell didn't I bring a proper jacket? I could instantly see bubble monkey in the distance, standing on a small peninsula, just looking, and playing with the water. As I made my way to him, I heard murmurs along my way.

"Here it comes!"

"Hey! See that whirlpool in the distance?"

"_Is it Tessie_?" I rolled my eyes to myself.

_Good grief._

Right when I was about to reach the gum obsessed monkey, I could have sworn I heard something… a weird song playing, and it seemed to come from the sky. Without much thought, I looked up, and my eyes went wide, not from shock, but by complete confusion as I saw a bearded man dressed in a suit and top hat, twirling and floating down from the sky.

"It's the photographer man again!" Someone in the distance spoke out. The…_wha?_ When he landed, he looked at me in the eye seriously. Was he looking at me? There was a blimp in the air as well, which seemed to have a camera of its own. And once he opened his mouth, my ears could not comprehend…

"Pictuestakeninstantaniously! I'm a photographic genius if I dare say so myself! Get ready to capture the memory, look at the camera! Ready? Say...FUZZY PICKLES!" It was in a millisecond that I was momentarily blind from the flashing from both cameras. Can you believe he didn't even let me look at the photo before he was off? I just hoped this guy didn't work for a corporation that was after me… if one even existed.

Hopefully not…

"_WOW!_ What a great photograph! It will always bring back the fondest of memories!" He sang as he grabbed onto the rope hanging from the blimp, twirling back into the sky magically disappearing before my eyes. I looked around me… No one seemed to even pay any mind to what happened… Instead, everyone's attention was on shore. I took one glance myself. Did I have to cross this body of water?

… how in the world would I be able to do _that_?

Erasing the odd moment out of my head, I went over to bubble monkey, whom instantly seemed to reach into my pants pocket, and pulled out the pack of gum, and started chewing again. I still watched astoundingly as the monkey floated into the air, and over the water, where there was an eruption of some sort in the water. It wasn't until something _huge_ and bright purple arose from the dark waves that I was stock still, my jaw dropping to the ground.

Tessie, the mythic… was emerging, right before my eyes.

Apparently Tessie was a giant purple water serpent. Bubble monkey managed to land and sat on the head of this magnificent creature; everyone behind me awing in amazement, taking out their cameras, and sketch book and studying the magnificence that was Tessie, whom was making its way towards me. Jeez, one odd moment after the other!

Tessie's long neck stretched down slightly so I could meet small black bead eyes, as it looked at me expectantly. My body was shaking however; it was hard for me to respond. When the creature cooed at me, the monkey started to dance wildly on top of its head.

"Wha…what do you want from me?" I asked out loud.

When Tessie and bubble monkey were right next to me, bubble monkey seemed to invite me, as Tessie revealed its back above the water to me. I was tentative, but felt possessed as I attempted to step on the ride, until Tessie managed to curve its long neck around to my back to nudge my back with its nose, shaking myself out of my state of shock. Yelping, I jumped onto Tessie's back, grasping around its neck, hoping I wasn't choking it. There was something odd going through my mind in that moment, as if my body was telling my mind that this was what I had to do right now. So be it, I thought, it wouldn't be bad… right? When I managed to find my balance on Tessie's back, I watched everyone looking back at us, studying all of us with their binoculars, and clip boards, as they steadily became smaller and smaller. I could only shiver violently. I tried not to pay attention to the cold waters around us…oh god.

I should have taken those swimming classes in my younger boarding school days. Sitting on my knees and practically hugging the neck of the calm creature, we started drifting away from shore. Gulping, I looked behind me again, seeing the snowy land mass drift farther and farther away…

And soon my eyes landed on the school from afar. I hadn't seen the school this far away… I didn't think ever. Something in my stomach sank.

I just hoped that Tony would stay happy there...

xxxxx

When we made it to the other side of the lake, bubble monkey and I stepped off of the purple lake-serpent, ungracefully as my foot slipped on something, making myself fall face first into the snow. I groaned, rubbing my head before turning around. There was a slight breeze, as Tessie cooed at me again, tilting its head at me. I tilted my head back.

"Umm… thank you," I told the lake creature. Tessie cooed again, before turning around as another breeze blew my bangs in my way.

Bubble Monkey and I watched Tessie descend into the depths of the lake. No wonder there was a club named after her. I just refused to believe there was such a thing... though in a sense, maybe I had always known that this wasn't the case. It definitely wasn't the case now.

Once she was under, we were off again...

...Only to be stopped by an enraged mountain goat. Ugh. I froze for a moment, as the creature eyed us. When bubble monkey blew another bubble that soon popped, the ram dug its hoof into the snow. I grabbed bubble monkey and ran away into a nearby cave, ignoring the sign. When we entered, we seemed to be in a miniature maze. I sighed as we were on our way again. Where we even making any progress? …Or my progress?

Looking around, I realized that whoever designed the maze was a complete idiot. The walls were more like fences, except they had barb wires around them, so I couldn't just climb over the fences. Along one of the paths, I ran into a package with a broken iron that I took along. Eventually we ran into a sign that read "watch out for objects that fly down from the ceiling. Then I cringed as I heard that same music again, with that same insane photographer. I clutched my fists, as I turned around.

"Picturestakeninstantaniously! I'm a photographic genius if I do say so myself!" I gritted my teeth together as bubble monkey did the same except to his gum.

"Ready, say...FUZZY PICKLES!" I flipped off the camera, but he didn't even seem to care.

"WOW! What a _**great**_ photograph! It will always bring back the fondest of memories!" He cheered as he twirled in the air and disappearing through the crack in the ceiling of the cave. I growled in frustration. Good riddance, I thought. _He better not come back, I don't want some pedophile following me around to take pictures_, I thought to myself as I stomped through the rest of the maze, picking up random bread rolls along the way, oddly, and avoiding mad ducks, or zapping them, whatever I preferred. I just assumed the bread rolls were prizes or something along the way.

When I made my way to the end of the cave, I noticed the phone, but decided not to use it. It was just odd to me; I decided it could've been a trap.

When I stepped out of the cave and back into the frosty snow, there was an odd looking man already awaiting me outside. I was slightly startled as the both of us kind of examined each other. What is with the old men so far? I hoped they were worse than my old man… on second thought.

He had thin black messy hair and a moustache, as he brought up a hand to rub his small pink nose. He looked Hispanic.

"I guess the maze was too easy. My name is Brick Road, I've been designing dungeon layouts for the past few years, and I've been trying to design a good maze. I guess this one just wasn't cut to be the one." I looked at the man, raising my eyebrow as he seemed embarrassed at the gesture.

"If you're hoping to make a good puzzle… or dungeon, you might want to go through your thumbnail stage more," I replied. "It wasn't…horrible, but if you were thinking of a labyrinth, then it's not quite there yet," I told him nicely. Brick Road let off a cough.

"My dream is to make a huge moving dungeon. Basically a building that can move like you and I. In a sense… I want to become this in a way. I want to become the 'Dungeon Man' you see… Maybe if I find him… with some help from Dr. Andonuts, that idea could become reality," He spoke. As soon as he mentioned _him_, I scowled at him.

"Oh well I'm sure he'll do a _great_ job, just don't let him take all the credit for it and shun you in the dark," I replied grouchily. The man tilted his head at me.

"Do you know who Dr. Andonuts is?" Another quick flashback in my mind. It was always a memory of him working at his desk in the basement. I glared and flared my nostrils.

"_Does it look like I even care?"_ I spat bitterly averting my eyes away from him. He sighed. He seemed to want to avoid any complications, I thought.

"Oh, well, would you like to rest up a bit?" He asked. I declined, and was on my way, feeling freaked out about the nice gesture. Looking at the corner of my eye, the goat was back, and before we knew it, me and bubble monkey were out of there into another cave.

xxxxx

This cave was much darker, and didn't seem to be of any layout of any sort, except the fact that there were ropes dangling from high cliffs. The mice were a brutal pain, their bites were worse than getting pinched on St. Patrick's Day. And the mushrooms were odd, and startling, one time I felt a little nauseated. We eventually made our way to a cliff that we needed to climb, but the rope was at the top. I instantly handed bubble monkey a piece of gum, as he chewed, and floated up, and threw the rope down to me.

When I climbed up, I was distracted by some sort of presence around us. I started to feel cold… as if I didn't belong in this place. I bravely stood in front of it, but I heard words of denial in my head- _"Only Ness has the power to awaken this area"-_

Ness? Wasn't that Paula's friend, and my friend in which I didn't know? I shook my head in confusion as me and bubble monkey found our exit out of this hell hole, probably into a new one. I shivered, as I walked away.

I had just slight speculation about Paula… I wondered what this Ness would be like?

When I squinted from the cloudy white light, bubble monkey seemed to spot another monkey that wore...a pink ribbon? Why were there monkeys around here, and why did they have such weird characteristics? Bubble monkey immediately ran towards the monkey with the bow without looking back at me. I stood there before sighing to myself.

After getting ditched by the monkey, I was by myself once again, making my way around what I suspected to be Stone Hedge. I made it. _Oh goodie_.

In the center of Stone Hedge, there was a hole in the ground with a ladder. For a moment, I could only stare at the hole, feeling an odd chill approach my shoulders. I had the strangest feeling, as I decided to climb down the hole.

It was only about half way down when a horrible freight crept up on my shoulders. Almost in a panic, I instantly climbed back up. _Something wasn't right…_ I thought. Terribly.

I climbed out of the eerie hole, only to be greeted by what looked like a giant cave man above me. I did my best not to look at it straight in the eye, but that soon failed as I saw the man hold up a gigantic club above his head. My eyes were wide with shock as the cave man roared and swung his club at me. I tried dodging, but lost my glasses in the process. Then a bone crushing pain roared on my back as I yelped in pain. Grabbing out my pop gun, I aimed as best as I could, aiming only at the giant _moving_ blob, instead of one of the still ones in which I suspected was a one of the giant stone structures. He seemed to roar in pain, as I scrambled around feeling for my glasses. When I was able to find them, I dodged quickly, and the cave man attempted another swing at me. I aimed then, more precisely at his eyes, my arms shaken from the pain on my back.

Firing the trigger made him swing the club around madly, until he managed to club himself on the head, which seemed to knock him out good. I dodged out of his way when he landed on the ground with a thump. My heart was still racing as I brought a hand to caress my forehead wiping the sweat off my forehead, and limping towards a strange building in the distance, managing to get away from the fight.

And then on closer examination… it was the lab.

Something in my chest swelled up. And I hadn't felt that feeling in years.

xxxxx

I didn't know how long I stood in front of that building, feeling a similar anger swell in my chest for the man that inhabited inside.

I had only learned about this news a year ago. Only a year.

_"Jeff! Jeff, have you seen the news yet?" Maxwell told me, worry in his eyes. I could only cock my head, as the man put his hands on my shoulders. My heart sank for some reason. Maxwell only did that if he was really being serious._

_ "Wh… what news?" I asked. Maxwell could only usher me into his office, sighing as he closed the door. _

_ "Jeff, sit down. I have something to show you," He spoke calmly. I bit my lip, sinking into my chair._

_ "Did I do something wrong?" I asked. _

_ "Nah… but I'm sure this will be relevant to your interests... even though you may not like it," He spoke to me, handing me the newspaper. My eyes scanned the big black bold letters on the paper:_

_**The Frizzy Doc Andonuts Found?**_

_ My eyes widened as my breath caught, before I read the rest of the article._

I shook my head out of the flashback to bring myself back to reality. I was probably to the point of frostbite by then just standing out in the snow like I was, just staring. That's all I could do.

"_So he's been living here all this time…" _I mumbled to myself, looking over the building again for the millionth time. I exhaled a puff of steam, grabbing my shoulder from the slight pain of the previous encounter, walking up to the door. I bit my lip, heart beating faster and faster. What was I doing? Was I even ready? I paused again.

"_Jeff please, we need your help!" _Paula spoke in my memories_. _I squeezed my eyes as I forcefully knocked on the door, enough to make my knuckles hurt. A moment of pause.

After a minute, no one still had answered the door. I had almost walked away.

And as I turned around the door opened. Heart stopping, I swiftly turned around, only to widen my eyes.

There standing in the doorway was another caveman. Biting my lip so hard it must have bled, I stumbled back, eyes wide as I dug out my pop gun again, aiming the point in between the hairy man's eyes. The cave man could only tilt his head at me. My grip started to shake, palms sweating, even in this weather. The moment of pause commenced, until the man handed out what seemed to be a hand of jerky.

For some reason, I let my guard down, wincing as my shoulder screamed in pain again.

"Now now, don't hurt him, he's not your enemy... put the gun down," I heard an old man's voice say. My heart fluttered.

"Oh really? Then why the hell was there another one out there swinging its club around in my face?" I replied hoarsely. It was at this time that the caveman stepped aside, and another man, smaller and more human-like revealed himself in the doorway.

"Because anyone inside my lab isn't affected by the brainwashing waves hitting some of the beings that have been attacking you," He spoke. "You should come inside, away from some of the chaotic things that have been happening outside lately." I could only shiver, staring at the old man in front of me. He was wearing a stained white lab coat, old frail hair… older than I could ever recall. A few aging spots have appeared on his now more pruney skin as he straightened his glasses in front of his dull gray eyes. A feature that hadn't changed one bit.

I couldn't move. The man tilted his head at me, keeping that blank stare on his face. I watched a mouse scurry behind his feet, paying me no attention as I slowly brought myself back to my feet. _Now the traitor shows his face_. He was much older than the last time I saw him… all those years ago. I flared my nostrils. I never wanted to admit that this praised man by many was my…

"_Dr. Andounuts…_" I barely muttered. Dr. Andounuts raised an eye brow. He didn't seem to recognize me.

"Excuse me?" I couldn't look at him for long... it was hard enough to stand in front of him. Just to stand. I should have known, but it didn't stop my rage towards him, something I had bottled away for years. I balled up my fists.

"_**Dr. Andounuts!**_" I roared angrily. I could see him flinch at my response. Something about my rage enabled me to look him into the eye.

"I...I don't understand what's to be angered about… I don't even know who you are young man. If you need to, I have a-" My eyes widened ever so slightly at him. Something seemed to click inside of him as well… Even so, I quickly kept myself from getting hurt by what he had just told me.

"_Don't give me that bullshit__you know__**exactly**__who I am!_" I spat at him. I could sense the mouse, and the club boy cowered fearfully inside the depths of the dark room, but not the Doc. The Doc could only sigh, not letting his eyes off of my own. _Was he afraid of me at all?_ He frowned, letting the tip of his bottom lip sink in between his loose teeth. He then turned around.

"C… come inside…" He said. I exhaled.

"And why should I?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down. Dr. Andonuts held his head lower, drifting only his eyes towards me.

"It's the… least I can do for you. You must be freezing," He spoke to me. I deepened my frown.

"It's a little late for that… _don't you think?"_ He could only look away again.

"Still… please come in," He spoke. I was silent, and unresponsive, but I kept glaring at him. "I..._you're my son that I haven't seen in ten years_..." Finally, the old man said it.

"Yeah, I bet you couldn't wait to get rid of me back then,_ could you_? I remarked. My father frowned at me.

"But… you're looking much healthier than ever, I presume...aside from the fact that you're leaning to one side more than the other and… you're freezing. Surely you wouldn't need me… an old hoot of a scientist, to take care of a boy with such potential?" He asked chuckling nervously. I leaned by painful back against the door frame.

"_I was __**four.**_" I stated. "And I _know_that's not the reason."

"What… was that not a good enough reason? It doesn't matter now, ten years _have_ passed… and there's nothing you or I could do to fix it…" He replied, voice becoming softer at the end. I gritted my teeth at him.

"Then _why_ don't you build a god damn time machine, and _**find out**_. I'm pretty sure an old man of _your_ potentials could create one." Dr. Andonuts turned to me, and smiled softly.

"It's already in the process, my boy. It's called the _Phase Disorder. _With it, I can connect two points in space and time. However-" I cut him off.

"_Why should I care…_ about your dumb inventions anyways… you abandoned me, and nothing you can do now will change how I feel about you…ever…" I told him. Dr. Andonuts paused, clearing his throat after looking at me again. He always looked at my eyes…

"It's not finished yet," He replied. I brought my hand to my forehead in frustration… and from the brain freeze I was having. It was then that, the caveman had walked into the doorway again, startling me as I stumbled inside, as he shut the door. Dr. Andonuts started to walk away.

"You're here because someone needs your help, don't they?" He asked. My mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"How..."

"You'd be surprised at how much _both_ of us know," He said reaching for a pink box. I could only watch him. This family reunion… wasn't really a family reunion, I thought.

"Would you like a donut?" He asked.

"No..." I stated. Dr. Andounut shrugged, and took one for himself.

"The machine over there; The Instant Revitalizing Device, will heal your wounds. You won't get far how you are right now. There's no need to argue with me, either way, I'll help you get to your destination. Brick Road himself told me you were on your way…" He said walking away from me. Though I didn't want to follow what he said, I was in a lot of pain, my back stiffening overtime. I limped over to the machine, looked at it, and looked over at the scared cave man, edging as far away from me as possible. I slammed the red button as the door slid open, and I stepped inside. It seemed as if moments that the machine magically melted all my internal injuries away, and opened its door once it was done. I sighed. It felt good, but I hated the fact that it was his work. I took a moment, gazing my eyes around his lab…it was more open than a cooped up little basement, I thought.

"Jeff, would you come over here for a second?" Dr. Andonuts said. I shivered as that familiar, yet unfamiliar voice finally spoke my name. Though I felt much better physically, I was ticked off the same on the inside, as I stomped away towards him, and whatever stupid invention he wanted to show off.

"This is what you'll use to reach them. It is called the _Sky Runner_. I can't really tell you where to go with this, but just listen… listen to the message that comes from your destination… if you listen to your friends… I'm sure you'll make it." I crossed my arms at him.

"How can I even believe you?" I asked him. He straightened his glasses.

"Because I knew something like this would happen… that's all I can really say," He replied. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Really? You need to say a lot more than that to convince me…" I replied. He frowned.

"Very well," He spoke. But that was all he said. After a moment of pause, I could only growl to myself, stomping towards the hovercraft.

"Why the rush, son?"

"Well, I'm kind of in _need_ right now, so if you'll excuse me… you don't have anything interesting to say anymore anyways… old rugged bastard," I muttered the last part to myself. I ignored everything else that he could have brought up then, as I daringly stepped into the hover craft, and closing the door. A moment went by as I heard Dr. Andonuts mutter his final words before I was going to leave. I know he was talking to himself, or I thought he was. I just wanted to get him out of my memory….

I slammed on the button, and covered my ears so I didn't have to hear him, squeezing my eyes shut, even for just a moment. Soon enough, the hover craft lifted from the ground, and I was finally out of there... I looked down, and Dr. Andonuts was already off to a different invention. He hadn't changed one bit it seemed. I didn't care if he helped me reach my destination, I still couldn't erase the last thing he said to me.

"_Let's get back together again sometime in the next __ten years._"


	3. Mother

_A/N: Thanks to the Leander, and again to Orkidee for reviewing this fic :3_

_XxxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxX_

_I wasn't sure what to think of Tony when I first saw him. I would have mistaken him as a girl if it wasn't for the uniforms, and the fact we were stuck in an 'all boys' boarding school. We were only five _years_ old when we met. He didn't bully, or brag about his life or his games, or anything... He was just Tony._

_I remembered that snowy weather; there was no recess that day. Winter vacation had started early that semester. I was relieved then, I could finally be alone for three whole weeks while the other students would go home for the holidays. I knew I would be staying in the school this time, nonetheless for a quarter of my life. As much as I didn't want to admit it, this place was my new home._

_Walking into my quiet room would have been the best thing ever if it wasn't for the muffled sobbing I heard in my closet. And there he was, curled into a ball, hiding his face under his curly red locks and semi crossed knees, sobbing his heart out. I had no idea how he snuck into my room in the first place. The door was locked, so was the window, though it would have been harder to get to on the fifth story of the dorms. He might have come through the sealed door between the two neighboring dorms, I thought. Maybe he resided next door. But instead of kicking him out of my room, I left him there without saying a thing. I lay on my bed__,__ reading a pile of books from the library that I had wanted to read for quite a while._

_The room had quieted down so much that I had forgotten he was still in my room. I was startled when I saw him emerge out of my closet, I jumped so much, and I literally fell on the floor. I heard him gasp, voice still clogged in foggy emotions._

_"No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He apologized rushing to my side of the bed, helping me up on the bed again, and picking up my glasses. His face was red, and streaked with tears. I thought back then how could he even cry so much when..._

_"Why are you in my room?" I heard myself hardly whisper. Tony sniffed._

_"I needed a place...away from them. I hope you don't mind..." He hiccupped. I frowned._

_"Did anyone... hurt you?" I spoke somewhat louder. He rubbed his eye._

_"No, they only helped me miss my only ride back to my family... and now that I can't see my family for Christmas, I won't be able to see them until the school year is over!" He started to sob. "My life has been just horrible ever since I've come to this place! I have no friends, I can't see my mom or sister, and my teachers hate me because I can't get anything right... I just __**wanna go home!!**__" He sobbed sitting back on the floor brining his knees to his chin. It took me a while, but I knelt beside him._

_"My family doesn't want me anymore..." I couldn't believe I was confessing to a boy I had barely knew. "I won't be able to get out of boarding school until the time comes, or I even graduate..." I wasn't sure when that would be. Tony looked up at me, sniffing._

_"Why...? Doesn't your family love you?" I shrugged._

_"I don't know...but I know mom does..." I said feeling my voice crack. Tony somewhat calmed down._

_"What is your mother like?" He asked me, his voice becoming clearer. I sighed drifting my eyes up at the ceiling._

_"She's… everything. My guardian angel if you will. Her embrace is enough to cure all of my pains, and if I hear her voice, I feel safe. She's the most beautiful thing I could ever have..." I told him. Tony's eyes became expressive, animated for the first time._

_"That's kind of like my mom, until I forget to take out the garbage at night" He admitted. It was like this all night long, we confessed things to each other we had never dared to say before. I knew for the first time how it felt to have a friend outside of the family. I wasn't alone anymore; I had Tony to keep me sane. I didn't need presents._

_Tony was the best possible present I could ever ask for. To: Jeff..._

_... from Mom _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter three Mother_

_XxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX_

I was high in the sky. I bit my bottom lip nervously as I grasped the handles in the sky runner for dear life. I felt the UFO rise up and down on its own. Eventually, this craft was going to crash to the ground, and take _me_ with it. At least there were some sort of safety features, like an emergency exit, and a spare parachute. Looking out one of the small round windows, I flew high above a huge city with sky scrapers. Then soon enough I ended up flying over an empty desert...wait, did I just see two people sun bathing? I was just thankful that the _traitor_ was cleansed out of my senses. If I got one more glance of him, I could have sworn I would puke. Or maybe it was the sky runner...

Later on throughout the hell ride, everything turned dark, and I was circling a small little town that seemed to have a circus attraction, as well as a cemetery. But then, once the machine made an alerting alarm, everything around me flashed red, as I felt like the whole world around me was crashing down, screaming as my world turned temporarily black.

--

"What was that?!" I heard a little girl say, muffled by some strange beeping sound.

"Don't go near it, you don't know what's in there, it could be one of Giygas's goons" A boy replied sternly. I tried opening my eyes, but my sight was too fuzzy, and my head was pounding.

"It's a boy! There's a boy on the ground! His glasses!" The little girl exclaimed as I heard her rushing towards me.

"Paula, _stay back_!" He shouted.

"No, Ness...I think he's our friend!" She said as I felt someone's hands touching my own.

"I hope he's not hurt, help me turn him over!" She said. The boy sighed aggravatingly as I felt someone's foot as a lever turn me over along with the girl gently. I looked up at them, but they were too fuzzy. That was when the pink blur seemed to reach for my forehead, and brush my hair out of my eyes. I squinted, until I felt her hands sneak behind my ears. I could clearly see a young girl, upside down, her golden blond hair hanging down her face, glistening blue eyes gazing into mine sympathetically. Her poof dress was bright pale pink, and the bowtie in her hair was out of line. Her rosy lips pierced as she gave the worn teddy bear in her arms a squeeze. She looked so young...

"...Are you okay...?" She asked softly. I could only grunt at the time, bringing my hand to my forehead.

"Where...where am I?" I asked groggily.

"We don't know ourselves, but judging by the hole you created in the ceiling and that nearby gravestone, I can only guess we're under the cemetery in Threed." The boy replied. Bringing my eyes to the voice, I saw a boy, frowning down at me, dark blue eyes dull, and worn. His build was very slender, almost too thin for his big yellow and blue horizontal striped t shirt and blue jeans. His black hair poked out of his red and blue cap that was twisted a certain angle on his head. He seemed to be holding a base ball bat. He was much older than the girl, but was no older than me, maybe even younger than me. His voice hasn't reached its peek into puberty like mine started to.

"You need help getting up?" He asked holding out a hand. I could only grunt as I weakly reached for his hand, until I felt his hidden strength kick in, and I was swiftly brought to my feet. I felt my knees wobble at first, but both of them kept me from toppling back down. The girl's head came to my middle waist, while the boy's forehead was in level with my eyes.

"That was some crash landing you had there, what the heck were you riding in anyways?" The boy asked. Trying to collect my senses together, I replied. "Something a scientist invented to take me here." I looked at the sky runner ruffling my dust covered messy blond hair. "But it's obviously broken now...oh well..." Neither replied, the boy forming an "O" on his lips.

"Alright...my real name is Jeff. I came because you called for my help...is your name Paula, young lady?" I couldn't help but somewhat smile as Paula's entire expression changed from worry to excitement. Even the boy's eyes somewhat lit up, ever so slightly.

"Jeff, it's _you_!" Paula cheered as she hugged my waist tightly which caught me off guard.

"Paula, you don't know him very well, what if he doesn't like that sort of contact?" The boy asked in bewilderness. "I'm sorry, she was just so-" I chuckled as I patted her head.

"It's alright, she's fine. Though I am kind of shy...near sighted, especially without my glasses, and somewhat reckless...I just gotten used to the contact thing. In fact, little Paula here is one of the first young ladies I've received a hug from in a _really_ long time...it's kind of a nice change" I chuckled at the last part of my sentence. The boy's eyebrow perked up.

"What do you mean about a "_nice change_"? He asked me.

"Oh, it's just that most of my life; I've grown up in an 'all boy's' boarding school. This is the first time in around ten years since I've been away from my hometown..." I replied.

"You came to help us!" Paula cheered jumping up and down.

"So I guess then you're going to travel with us for a while, eh? I might as well introduce myself...my name is Ness" Ness said holding out his hand to me. I returned the gesture and nodded.

"So...can we get out of here now, or what?" He asked walking towards the door. Paula let go of me, and followed.

"You guys were locked in?" I replied searching through my bag for the broken key machine.

"Yeah, some blond bitch and her army of zomb..." Ness's sentence was incomplete as I immediately unlocked the door. His dropped jaw told me he was very impressed. Paula cheered.

"How...how'd you?!" I smiled as I adjusted my crooked glasses.

"Let's get going, shall we?'

--

The whole town put shivers down my spine. I felt like I was thrown into a horror film with all the weird encounters with blobs in trash cans, possessed puppets, and pumpkin headed children. Paula was grasping Ness's arm in fear, almost how Tony held mine when he was scared. Ness looked like he was dragging himself along, almost like me, except he seemed more worn down, especially in his emotions. For some reason, we walked around a circus tent as we saw two people run inside. Ness stopped in his tracks.

"Let's follow them..." He muttered as we walked into the tent.

--

"I was so scared that I left my wife and kids home and fled into this tent!" One man claimed.

"I wonder if we could somehow trap all the zombies into the tent, and then put it on fire" Another one claimed. We all nodded, as all three of us left the tent. As we headed down to another area south of town filled with cages, there was another circus tent.

"So… could you tell me what we're after exactly?" I asked Ness. Ness didn't reply, keeping his eyesight ahead of us. I put my hands in my pockets, averting my eyes down to the ground. We were both brought back from our reveries when Paula shrieked. As my eyes shot up, we spotted a rotted looking living dog. Was it a zombie? The blue molding dog's his was filled with venom and death.

"Great..." Ness growled back at the green toothed mutt, grasping his bat. Paula let go, and held out her hands in which looked like they were glowing. Though I hated the thought of using a gun, I decided why the heck not, and grabbed out my laser gun. The zombie dog lunged towards Paula, as Ness swiftly flew in front of her and whacked the dog forcefully across the face, part of his nose ripping away from its snout. It looked painful nonetheless. I aimed and shot the dog in the exposed ribs while near after Paula surprised me by her super human abilities as she shot something that looked frosty and blue at the dog until it crystallized, and shattered into dust. All three of us were panting. However I couldn't shed the feeling of someone panting along with us. Paula shrieked again, as we all spun around, and stared into the face of the circus tent. I watched in terror as a sharp toothed mouth sucking all three of us in.

All three of us scrambled back on our feet as the face of the tent laughed maniacally at us, attempting to strangle all three of us. Paula shot flames out of her palms it seemed, while no long after Ness threw a super human attack of his own. The tent wailed in pain. I thought I could never do the things they could do. I reached into my bag, and took out one of my personal models of the bottle rocket. Lighting a match, and setting it a spark, the bottle rocket was off in an instant setting off fireworks in the making. The tent was screaming as we were surrounded in the flames that the tent was being taken over. Ness covered Paula protectively as I guarded my eyes from the flashing glares of the flames.

Opening my eyes, the tent was to the ground, still going up in flames. Paula used whatever ice attack she used again, to kill off the flames. It was once the tent was gone that Ness shouted at a couple of unhealthy looking men around a trash can, as they ran off. Ness ran to the trash can, as me and Paula followed. When we made it, Ness was already digging madly through the trash.

"Why are you..."I started until he took out a jar of what looked like honey. Ness's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would the zombies hide a jar of honey...?" He mumbled. A few moments later, a cell phone seemed to ring out. All three of us jumped, as Ness reached into his back pants pocket, and grabbed out a phone with only one button.

"Yeah?" Ness said in the receiver. It sounded like a man's voice on the other line.

"Zombie Paper?" Ness questioned. "...attracts them over time...?" Ness sighed.

"Alright...I'll look out for him when he comes. Thanks...yeah...ok...bye" Ness put the receiver away and turned to us.

"Apple kid just called me. He said he's sending someone over to deliver one of his inventions...zombie paper" Ness shrugged.

"What the heck is zombie paper?" I asked.

"Apparently it's like fly paper, except it attracts zombies, even though he claimed he hadn't seen a zombie in his life. Someone's coming to deliver it to us really soon." He explained to me as we walked down the side walk. Paula was happily playing with her teddy bear while humming to herself.

"Apple Kid an inventor like my..." I trailed off before I said what I dreaded. Ness was skeptical at first but ignored the second part of my reply.

"Yeah... kind of a stinky guy actually. He invented the pencil eraser that erases...pencils." He trailed off awkwardly.

"Oh...well that sounds like a _very_ useful invention" I sarcastically remarked.

"It... it's been useful for some things..." He said slightly flushing. I chuckled, looking down to Paula, whom was now leaning on Ness sleepily.

"Hopefully this paper will be more useful" I said to him before we heard someone in the distance shouting at us. The man took a breather, hands resting on his knees.

"He sent the pizza delivery guy?" I asked in confusion.

"Some..._Apple Kid_...wanted me to specially deliver this to a young man named Ness? I'm just going to hope that you're that kid. Here" He said shoving the package into my arms as he was off again. Me and Ness looked at each other and then shrugged as I handed the package to Ness. Ness opened the package, as the paper unfolded on its own falling to the ground. I helped him collect the giant sheet back up.

"Where are we supposed to put this?" I asked. Ness drifted his eyes around us until they seemed to lock to the 'un' possessed circus tent.

"I have an idea of what to do with this..." Ness smirked.

--

After we finished laying out the giant sheet of paper down inside the circus tent that everyone had been hiding in, Paula yawned and leaned her head on her teddy bear.

"There!" Ness said standing tall putting his hands around his waist. I tapped his shoulder and pointed at Paula who was literally standing and sleeping at the same time.

"Yeah...I guess you're right... we've been awake more than 24 hours" Ness explained. I eyed him.

"A girl her age needs a lot more sleep, Ness, just like you and me, we're still growing" I remarked. Ness shrugged as he slowly picked up the small girl over his back, giving her a piggy back ride.

"It was really hard for us to manage just the two of us, lost in an area we're not familiar with...Giygas's goons attacking us in every corner. That's when I guess you came along, so maybe we won't have that problem as much now..." He said smiling at me. I smiled back.

"You look tired yourself, Ness" I said. Ness snorted.

"Why don't you look in the mirror? You need more than a night sleep, you need a bath!" I chuckled at his response. He got me there.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"Besides, this paper takes at least six hours he said until it starts luring in at least one zombie, so we have plenty of time to rest. There's a hotel in town, the bills on me" Ness smiled. Now it was my turn to be skeptical.

"Don't you want me to at least put in a dollar?" I asked.

--

"Okay, that will be 180 dollars sir" The hotel manager said, as Ness handed him a couple hundred dollar bills. My jaw was to the ground. How much money was this kid lugging around?! Ness took his change and the key and dangled it in front of my face.

"Told you; I could cover the bill!" He smirked playfully. I sighed, pulling out my only dollar bill which was worn, and covered in soot.

"Huh, I guess you're right." We were interrupted by the manager's cough.

"Sir, if you'd like to please wash your clothes, you can use the laundry room down on the bottom floor down that hallway, for your clothes are _filthy!_" He exclaimed closing his nose.

"Thanks..." I said sarcastically before Ness picked Paula back up and we headed up the stairs.

Our room was fairly nice. It had two queen sized mattresses however so it meant that at least two people needed to share a bed. The nice thing was that it had its own bathroom, with its own shower. Ness laid Paula in bed as she sighed contently.

"Ness...thanks..." She yawned as she received her teddy bear. Ness pulled off her shoes, and pulled the covers over her as Paula was already drifting into dreamland.

"Jeff, you can have a bed for your own tonight. I hope you don't mind...it's just we don't know you as well..., and I don't want Paula by herself in a bed. And you claiming you're shy and all... you get me, right?" Ness asked rubbing the back of his head. I nodded.

"I understand perfectly, Ness, don't worry. You really seem to care for her a lot" I smiled glancing down at Paula. Ness rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yeah...she was my only companion for a while...and she's still just a little girl, though she's too mature for her age in my opinion. It makes me wonder what kind of life she was living before I met her..." He said sadly.

"How old is she?" I asked curiously.

"Eight. Six years younger than me..." He said.

"I see...so you're fourteen?" I asked. Ness sighed as he plopped on the bed.

"Yeah...I just turned fourteen a couple of months ago..." I nodded. So I was older than him I thought.

"You look crashed, dude. Get some sleep, you need it." I said going through my dirty bag, and grabbing out my black and green plaid pajamas.

"...Alright. You take a shower" He sighed taking his cap off and shaking his now loose short black hair around. I chuckled back at his response before heading into the bathroom.

--

I let the warm water wash through my oily muddy hair. Grabbing the shampoo, I massaged my scalp twice over, reaching spots I usually skim over in my regular showers. Sometimes I would just stand there, looking down at my feet, watching the dirty water wash down the drain. At least the tub wasn't always clogged here I thought, thinking back at the bath tubs at my boarding school. I brought my thoughts to my so called father that everyone phrased, and how he didn't even acknowledge his own _son_ appearing before him for the first time in ten long years. _He still hasn't changed_. _I was just like one of his failed projects. I was just a useless item to him that he would throw to the side in a dusty corner, only to move on with his next so called brilliant idea._ I balled up my fists, and turned the shower knob to the coldest temperature. It was _freezing _and I shivered from the mere force of it. I didn't care though I just wanted to wash that jack ass out of my mind.

After drying myself off, brushing my teeth, and slipping on my pajamas, I took out a roll of tape out of my tool box, and wrapped the tape around the center of my glasses. After adjusting them to my comfort, I sighed as I opened the door to let the steam out of the room. Flickering off the lights, I snuck over to my bed, looking at Paula sleeping soundlessly on her side of the bed while Ness was absent on his side. My eyebrows frowned as I checked my watch that read 12:37 am. Where the hell could he have gone to, alone at this hour, and leave Paula alone in bed?

Though I didn't like the idea of leaving Paula alone in our room, I snuck out of our hotel room, my dirty clothes in hand as I stepped down stairs into the lobby area.

"_I mean, I'm fine!"_ I heard Ness state in hostility. I stopped in my tracks, and looked around the railing. At the front counter talking into the phone was Ness in his vertical blue stripped pajamas, more frustrated than I've ever seen him. I felt horrible for eavesdropping, but I sat on the stairs, high enough to where he wouldn't see me.

"_What do you __**mean**_ _her fault?! We're always wondering where the hell you go in the middle of the night, since you're gone all day at work anyways, Dad! Where the fuck are you calling from anyways?_" I winced as he swore angrily into the phone's receiver. I heard the sound of someone shouting on the other line.

"_Dad, you're __**drunk**__! No one threatened to run you over in our driveway! How...how the hell could __**I**__ have threatened you?! I'm in __**Threed**__, talking to you over the phone! And I don't even know how to drive, I'm only a kid!"_ ... There was a long pause, until he slammed the phone on the counter angrily. I was surprised to not hear any foot prints approaching me, until I heard him talk again.

"Mom? Hey..." My eyes shot open. He was talking to his _mother_ now...

"Mom, stop crying, I'm right here..." I frowned as I put my chin on my knees. Ness's voice was flustered.

"I'm in Threed right now...yeah...that's good...he didn't hurt you, did he? ...Good... is King ok? That's good...mom, please stop crying... I promise I'll come visit you soon...yeah of course I'll bring my friends along. We met a new friend today, his name is Jeff...yeah, he's nice so far... I guess he's smart, I don't know him all that much...I think he's slightly older than me...taller too...yeah...alright...I'll stay out of trouble...talk to you soon...ok... I love you, mom… if dad comes back alright, tell him I love him too… alright…bye." He hung up as he started pacing towards the stairs. I started to panic, but once I was going to make a move, Ness had already spotted me. _He was crying..._

"...Jeff?" His eyes were wide in shock. I nodded, but was then startled.

"_You idiot! You left Paula __**alone**__ with the door unlocked?!_" He shouted racing up the stairs passed me. I slapped myself mentally. Both of us barged into our room, pacing in quickly only to find Paula still sleeping soundlessly. Ness's sigh was shaken as he brought a hand to caress his forehead.

"_Jeff, if you knew that I wasn't in here, than why did you leave as well?!_" He whispered harshly at me. I winced.

"_To go find you, that's what! I had to make sure that nothing happened to you!"_ I muttered back at him. Ness looked worryingly at Paula and sighed.

"I...'m sorry...I should have known that you were going to go downstairs to wash your clothes..." He said. Walking to his bed, he took both his shirt and jeans along with his spare underwear and the hotel key.

"Go lock the window, and we can go wash our clothes together..." He yawned as he took out a notebook, scribbling a note down for Paula just in case.

--

I flipped on the light inside the big laundry room that no one had been using at the time. Ness opened the closest washing machine, threw in his clothes, as well as Paula's spare dress and some laundry soap, and almost slammed the door shut, turning the machine on. I did the same with mine, except a lot more gentle, putting it on a more intense wash.

"So...is it ok so far?" Ness asked me. I glanced at him and raised my eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked back. Ness sighed as he plopped down in the nearest chair, while I sat in the chair two seats away from him.

"I mean, how is it now that...you're away from home the first time in a very long time?" He asked leaning forward running his hand through his short black hair. I formed an "O" on my lips.

"It's...just...different, that's all." I replied. "A lot less snow, and warmer too" Ness glanced at me.

"You traveled really far from home, didn't you?" I leaned forward myself resting my elbows on my knees and crossing my arms.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Paula woke me up in two in the morning. It was hard for me to explain to my roommate why I was leaving him so early...on his birthday..." I mumbled at the last part of my sentence thinking of when Tony tackled me against the lockers. I tried to hide my flush if I even had one.

"Was he a good friend of yours?" He asked.

"Yeah...the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for." I smiled. Ness snorted slightly.

"You're a lucky guy then. I made some wonderful friends back in my hometown Onett... but my neighbor always scared them away, one after the other. He wouldn't even let me have one friend over for dinner... I think he was jealous of my other friends, that he became obsessive…" He frowned containing his anger. I frowned with him.

"If it makes you feel better... me and my friend had our fair share of damage at our school when we were younger...it was until we became upper class men, and I was one of the top in my class that everyone backed off."

"Were you popular with your class?" Ness asked. I sighed.

"Somewhat, yeah, we were. My friend was more popular though in the fine arts crowd...I leaned more towards the science and math crowd...but there were still people there that hated our guts too"

"I don't think I could stand one minute in a boarding school...let alone, I don't know how I'm standing this either..." We were both silent for a while.

"...Were you listening...to me on the phone...?" Ness asked timidly. I was unresponsive at first.

"I guess I heard a little bit...I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to" I replied. Ness growled in frustration which made me a little intimidated myself.

"If _dad_ would just come clean sometimes, none of this stuff would even be happening to us. I don't understand him sometimes...I know he's a good guy...he just doesn't seem to want to act like one sometimes...it makes mom sad whenever he either doesn't come home at night, or he comes home drunk...sometimes with his other drunk ass hole friends...that's when things can get pretty nasty" Ness brought both of his hands to his forehead. By this time, Ness's washing machine beeped, Ness got up, and threw his clothes in the dryer.

"I'm going to check on Paula, alright? I'll be right back..." Ness mumbled walking out the door. I leaned back in my chair, and watched the flickering light on the ceiling. _At least his mother was alright..._

My washing machine finally beeped, and I took out my sopping school uniform and threw it in the dryer right next to the one Ness threw his clothes in, but I noticed that he had forgotten to turn his machine on, so I turned both of them on at the same time. Not so long after, Ness walked back in.

"Thanks, I forgot to turn the load on" He said bringing one of the chairs over to sit in front of the dryer. Ness seemed to watch his load spin and spin around in circles, maybe to hypnotize himself? I leaned on my dryer taking my glasses off to adjust them again.

"Do you need a new pair?" Ness asked before yawning silently. I put them back on while balancing them on my nose.

"Nah...I'll be fine for now, they've been kind of like this before anyways" I replied. "How's Paula?"

"Just like she was when I tucked her into bed." Ness smiled. I nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking...is your mother ok?" I asked. I saw the realization in his eyes when he glanced up at me.

"She just got into an argument with dad, that's all. I just wish I was there to protect her if anything else happened. I guess my dog, and my sister could take that role if anything _did _happen. I just get worried about her a lot, so I call her to make sure. I call my dad a lot too...I have to admit, he's the one handing me all this money into my bank account..." Ness explained. "You won't tell anyone else about what I just told you...right?" I couldn't ignore the desperate pain in his eyes when he looked up into mine. I averted my eyes and nodded.

"There's no need for me to. But there was also no need for you to tell me all about your personal life either you know..." I said.

"Just like there was no need for you to eavesdrop while I was on the phone with my folks?" Ness replied. Damn it, I was caught again.

"Yeah...like that..." I agreed. Ness sighed.

"...Do you contact your family? If you don't mind _me_ asking...what's your family like?" He asked. I didn't want to reply...but I said "Not very often, no. And to put it bluntly, my dad is a jerk himself." Ness nodded as he fiddled with his fingers.

"…And your mom?" He asked innocently. My eyes hardened as I looked the opposite way. There was a long pause, after I growled in frustration.

"It's ok...you don't have to tell-" I slammed my fist against the dryer turning my back to him. I didn't miss how he jumped out of his seat from my sudden anger spurt. However, I said nothing as both dryers stopped working in unison. Neither of us made a move, until I went for my clothes first. Ness timidly approached his clothes. I felt bad; I didn't mean to startle him so much. I glanced over, and he was even shaking as he opened the dryer door to retrieve his stuff. When I had my clothes in hand, I noticed there was a spare sock hanging on the edge of his dryer. I went down to pick it up for him, only to find that his hand went to reach for it first, and my hand landed right on top of his. Ness shivered from the contact as I immediately took my hand away.

"Sorry..." I mumbled as I went ahead of him. I opened the door, and offered to hold it open for him silently. Ness nodded without looking at me and went through the door. I did the same for him when we entered our hotel room. Neither of us said a thing as we crawled into our own beds, Ness lying next to Paula, and me sleeping in the middle of my own. Though I tried to get to sleep right away, my eyes drifted to the slightly open window as I gazed into the stars. My mind started to drift off into my sentimental memories…

_I was crying out for help when I must have locked myself in my own closet. My dad was nearby, but was unresponsive. He must have been working on something special, but I could only guess for my glasses must have fallen off outside the closet, and I was surrounded in darkness. It was when I heard an angelic voice that I saw a crack of light, and then her worried face, framed in hair weaved from gold, reaching out to me; her face becoming clear once she held me close to her face. My eyes were wide from the sad look she gave me; whatever she wanted to tell me then must have been important, though I wouldn't have understood. She thumbed my tears away, and murmured comforting words into my ears; cradling me in her arms as she tenderly kissed my ear and Eskimo kissed me, which always made my nose tingle. I clung to her like a wet frightened cat, until she sang me a lullaby and I felt myself drifting off to sleep._

That must have been when I was finally able to fall asleep


	4. The Voice in my Mind

_XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX_

_I remembered the first time I threw up. It seemed horrific at the time, I felt awful, as tears squeezed out of the corners of my eyes. My mother took extra care for me, cleaning my face, and giving me a bath after she was sure that I was fine for a while. Though no matter how comforted I was with her words, I can vividly remember her yelling from the living room while I sat in the bath tub. She was yelling at my father._ _I never liked it when they bickered at each other; their relationship was hardly perfect in any way. I knew she was only sticking up for me, but I never liked to hear her bicker._

_Father was quiet and calm of the whole situation, though he never took apart of it in anyway. He always said he had too many things to do. I was bewildered that night when dad entered the bathroom. I actually thought that he was going to check on me, but instead he took a piss in the toilet without closing the curtain. I didn't even think he knew I was there, he whistled a commercial tune, zipping up his pants, and flushed the toilet. It was only after he washed his hands, and reached for the towels to wipe them dry that he saw me gazing back up at him. He looked down at me, bewilderness striking his face. Bags were collected under his dull hollow black eyes, unfocused without his glasses, his greasy dirty blond hair sticking out of his head in odd places._

_"Sorry" He told me before exiting the bathroom, and turning out the light. And there I was, sitting in the darkness that my father shrouded me in. I listened to their fighting again, bringing my knees to my mouth, praying that I wouldn't vomit ever again. I remembered wanting to understand what all their words meant. The only line that dad argued back at my mother wasn't clear back then, but made perfect sense now. I think it made me sick for another day, just trying to figure out what it all meant._

_"You know what? I wasn't the one that decided to keep the baby when you were pregnant."_

_XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX_

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter four The Voice in My Mind_

_XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxX_

"Look at all the people gathering around the tent!" I heard Paula say.

"Yup, it must have worked then. Yet again, Apple Kid, you come in handy." Ness said as I heard footsteps go around me. I slowly opened my eyes to see little Paula looking out the window, a bowl of cereal was in her hands. It looked cloudy and stormy outside still, but it was brighter. It must have been morning already. I checked my watch on the nightstand next to me, and brought it extremely close to my eyes. I was surprised to see that it read 10:35 am, which was rather late in my opinion.

"You're awake!" I grabbed my glasses, and saw Paula standing by my bed. I yawned.

"Morning, Paula" I yawned sitting up in bed.

"We think the zombie paper worked!" Paula said.

"Oh really?"

Paula nodded. "Ness, Jeff just woke up!" She said. He must have been in the bathroom, though the door was open, the fan was on. Ness paced out, and went around my bed, and picked up my pile of clothes and tossing them on my bed.

"Morning. Eat, and get dressed, we're gonna be leaving soon." Ness said without even looking at me and pacing back into the bathroom again, and shutting the door. I stretched out my spine when Paula handed me a bowl of frosted flakes cereal.

"Here you go. The hotel provided this" Paula smiled handing me the bowl. I smiled to her.

"Thanks" I was about half way done with my cereal when Paula said "Thank you for hearing me, and coming to help us. It must have taken a long time to get to us..." I looked up at her.

"It's nothing, really. I'm more than happy to help you guys save...the world..." My face could have gone blue from the mere thought of such a big task, but Paula put her teddy bear in my face.

"Tubby thanks you too" She giggled. I chuckled and patted the bear.

"Did you build that space ship you crashed?" She asked curiously. I could only laugh.

"Nah, Dr. Andonuts created it. He let me use it to reach you guys. It was pretty quick to make it here in an hour." I replied. Paula frowned.

"He's not going to be very happy once he finds that you crashed his invention." I kept myself from getting riled up over him.

"He won't mind. He has another model at his lab" I lied. It was nerve racking how Paula looked at me.

"You really hate that man... don't you?" She asked. My eyes shot open, gawking at her suggestion. Almost immediately, we both heard the bathroom door open, Ness pacing toward his bed, and stuffing belongings into his back pack silently. I smiled at Paula sadly as I stood up, and ruffled her hair. "I'm gonna get ready" I whispered to her.

After brushing my teeth, and getting back into my school uniform, I walked out of the bathroom to find Paula by the window again, and Ness absent. I sighed, and just walked over to my bag to put my stuff away.

"Hi again" Paula said.

"Hey" I replied walking up to the window to join her. She was right, there was a decent crowd around the entrance of the tent, and some of them were the people that were hiding inside of it.

"Hopefully this unblocked where we need to go next...according to Ness" She said. We both heard the door open behind us, which happened to be Ness again.

"Alright, let's get going guys" He smirked, tossing my bag to me. Paula ran up to Ness, and took his hand.

"Let's go, Jeff" He said, yet again, avoiding eye contact. Was he still bothered about last night?

"Ok".

When we started to rush downstairs out the door, the hotel manager's hand stopped Ness to a halt on the shoulder.

"The name's Ness, right?" He asked. Ness nodded raising his eyebrow.

"Someone wants to talk to yah on the phone" He said pointing to the phone lying on the counter. Ness groaned aggravatingly.

"Yes?" Ness spoke in the receiver Paula started to fiddle with her skirt. Ness sighed bringing his hand to his forehead.

"Hey, Dad…" I glanced up to see how weak he really looked when talking to his dad.

"Just don't do it again, okay? I know it doesn't happen often, but we-" He must have been cut off by his dad.

"My receiver phone number? Hang on, I have it somewhere…" Paula tugged at my shirt as Ness kept talking to his father. Paula looked worried, as if something really went wrong. I smiled, not fully, but enough to convince her, as I ruffled my hand through her golden locks, tightening the green bowtie in her hair.

"Jeff? You mean Mom told you about him?" My eyes darted back when I heard my name.

"A…are you sure? Okay…" Ness said turning towards me, holding out the phone wearingly.

"He wants to talk to you" Ness said to me bewildered. I frowned, taking the phone timidly from his hand, and putting the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" I spoke.

"Hello, is this my son's new companion, Jeff?" A middle aged deep voice spoke on the other line.

"Yes, it is."

"How are you doing?" I wondered what this man wanted to tell me, as I felt my stomach twisting.

"I'm fine… how are you?" I asked.

"I'm doing a lot better, thank you. Hey listen, I know you must be very confused as to why you are stuck in the scenario you're in. I'm not quite sure myself, but I know it's an urgent manner. I may never get to meet you or Paula in person, but I heard that you're possibly older than my son. I don't want you to feel threatened by me, but listen. I have done some pretty reckless things with my life before, everyone does, and it's a fact of life. Let me tell you, you kids are all alone, stuck in an ugly world that you may even need to save. However, if I _ever_ get any news about my son getting into any unnecessary trouble, or get hurt just from the recklessness of a friend, they'll regret it, got that?" He spoke to me in a monotone voice. I couldn't stop my gulp.

"I understand. I wouldn't want anything to happen bad to happen to them either…" I stated fretfully. Ness's father laughed on the other line.

"That's perfect. Did I make you nervous? Don't feel pressured, Jeff, Ness needs to share some of the responsibility himself. He's been taking care of this Paula gal for over a month it seems. Now I do want to ask you a favor, ok?"

"Alright…" I already had a feeling of what he would tell me.

"Please take care of my son for me. I know you just met him, and he probably seems very distant at the moment, but I promise, he's a very special boy. Though he's very timid when it comes to meeting guys around his age; he's not as outgoing as you may have expected. Sometimes, he thinks he makes the right decisions, when in actuality he may not, so keep him in check. He's my son after all. Just treat him with respect, and try to keep yourselves out of danger as much as you three can manage. I hear Paula is only eight years old, so keep her out of trouble as much as possible as well. So Jeff, can you keep that a promise as much as much as you can?" I nodded, glancing over at Ness, who was knelt down, talking to Paula. I sighed.

"I'll do my best." I said.

"Good. I'll check on you three once and a while. It was nice talking to you. May I speak to Ness one more time before I have to go?"

"Yes, that's fine, nice talking to you too." I said before handing the phone to Ness, whom immediately took it.

"What did you tell him?" Ness said nervously in the phone. "Oh, ok… thanks for the cash, Dad… I will… love you, bye." Ness put the phone down, sighing forcefully.

"You ok? You look really flustered…" I asked curiously. Ness rubbed the back of his neck.

"Me? Nah, he just likes to pick on me sometimes." He leaned closer. "_Don't say anything about my father around Paula, ok? She doesn't know anything about last night__._" The realization clicked, looking down to her as she played with her teddy bear more.

"Oh of course, sorry" I said modestly. Ness brought his head back to the door.

"Then that settles it, let's get going!" He said grabbing Paula's hand as we went out the door.

--

Even news channels were there. That's how popular this scene was as we approached the circus tent. Ness sped up to try and squeeze through the crowd. Paula reached for my hand, so I accepted it into my own so none of us would get lost in the crowd. When we entered the tent, all three of us covered our nose from the foul stench of molten cheese, and smelly feet. When we got a front row view, multiple zombies looked stuck to the floor, some still struggling to escape but only tearing their bodies apart in the process. Others were lifeless corpses. I cringed.

"It reeks in here!" I exclaimed under my hand. Paula muffled her mouth and nose under her teddy bear. Ness was talking to someone nearby.

"This zombie paper really seemed to work well. I wonder if they'll ever invent "pretty girl paper" to attract beautiful women. Wait that was sexist wasn't it? I'm sorry" The man laughed. Ness rolled his eyes, and took Paula by the hand, as Paula did to my own as we ventured closer to the zombies.

"We'll get you kids for this! Master Belch will teach you kids a lesson you won't forget!" One zombie yelled at us.

"Great! Now if I even try getting out of this mess, my body will just rip apart...it's because I'm a zombie." The closer we got to them, the more enraged they got. Paula was intimidated, until Ness stood in front of her, neither of us letting go of her.

"Wait...if all the zombies are here, then that means we can get up to that spot that they were guarding!" Ness exclaimed, taking off out of the tent dragging us along. I wasn't sure at the time what he was talking about, probably a place they ventured to before I joined them.

--

"A well?" I asked standing around the old well north of the cemetery, all three of us looking down it. There was even a latter that led into its narrow dark abyss.

"Apparently, but if they were guarding this well, then obviously something's down there that they don't want us to find. I'll go first." Ness said climbing over the rim and on the latter. Paula soon followed.

"Are you sure?" I asked down the well. Ness's voice echoed, "Jeff, come on!" I sighed, and followed them down.

"I can't see!" Paula complained. Ness sighed.

"Everyone hold hands again..." I grabbed Paula's hand again when Ness grabbed Paula's other hand. Walking through the low murky water that soaked and froze our feet, I couldn't help but notice the atmosphere slowly start to glow a dark intensity blue.

We ended up in a couple rooms, some wielding coffins. Even I was sort of freaked out. And I was right, the entire cave seemed to start glowing blue and green, it was strange, but everything on this journey so far has been strange, so where was I to complain? A zombie and its dog approached us.

"How did you three get down here!?" He exclaimed as the dog hissed.

"How come _you're_ not stuck to the zombie paper back in Threed?" Ness replied tauntingly holding up his bat. The zombie growled furiously.

"You won't get away with this!" He yelled half running, half limping towards us.

"Huh, just try to stop us!" Ness said running up to the zombie faster, and whacking it in the ribs. The zombie tumbled back, while the dog lunged at me and Paula. When I was about to block her, Paula used one of her freezing super human abilities on the mutt, in which made the dog flinch, but then got back up again. In attempt to bite Paula, the dog tried bumping me out of the way, just to get to her. Paula shrieked and threw her teddy bear at the dog, in which started to rip apart into pieces of cotton. I shot the mutt in the head, cringing as it yelped and toppled over. Part of me had regretted shooting the dog.

"You alright, Paula?" I asked her. She nodded, but pointed to the left over zombie and Ness, still fighting. Ness yelped as the zombie bit his neck. Paula used another freezing attack on the zombie while I slowly pointed the gun up at the zombie, feeling my grasp tremble while I was aiming for the zombie. The fact that I was holding my gun up to a being that was somewhat human in a sense made my heart skip a beat. _I hoped to death that this shot wouldn't do anything tragic_

Before I was able to pull the trigger, Ness was able to push the zombie to the ground, and kick it. The zombie fell silent, and started to disintegrate. We all panted, until Ness snickered to himself.

"These zombies have nothing on us. Aww, but the dog tore your teddy bear apart…" Paula smiled.

"It's ok, as long as we're alive" She said. Ness grunted in reply and looked at me. I must have looked zoned out, still thinking back to when I would have shot the zombie.

"You alright, Jeff?" Ness asked casually, catching me out of my reverie. I shook my head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You ok? That zombie took a bite in your neck." I said. Ness shrugged, touching the now red bite.

"He wasn't able to puncture through my skin, so it's cool." We eventually fell silent, venturing through the tunnels again. I could have sworn the further we ventured, the smellier it got. Paula gasped.

"What was that?!" She said. Ness and I scanned the room, until a ghostly figure appeared before us. It was silent, but it seemed to lash out to Ness. Ness gasped, and must have used one of his special abilities, because the ghost had a faint shrill as it flew out in front of us again.

"Its another ghost!" Paula exclaimed as fire flew from her palms. The ghost moaned faintly again, until it disappeared. All of us sighed. However, it was then, that I saw the ghostly figure fly in front of my face again, laughing as it did so, as it disappeared. Neither Ness nor Paula even noticed. I thought I had heard someone say faintly "_kill." _ My head started to seemingly spin, until Paula tugged on my shirt.

"Are you okay?" Paula asked. My eyes were wide when I looked down to her, but I smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine now, thank you Paula" I said earnestly. After we were off again, I couldn't shake off the feeling of Ness eyeing me suspiciously.

--

When we made our way up a couple more steps, we were able to see the sun light from a hole on the ceiling from afar. One of us was bound to say something, but then we all caught a whiff of a more disgusting smell, worse than the tent full of zombies.

"It smells like puke..." Ness said under his hand. The more we approached the exit, the more it smelled. I thought _what the hell could be up there, a thousand corpses?_ When we were almost there, we all halted at a small neon pink blob that literally looked like a pile of puke with eyeballs.

"You have fly's honey, though I'd accept you as a friend in this case, no." When it spoke, its breath was enough to kill a wave of flies.

"Please...don't talk ever again" I told the pile of puke. The pile of puke spit something and landed on Paula, who shrieked in disgust, covering her mouth.

"Shit" Ness swore as he took out his bat, and swung at the blob. In the process, he spattered the puke everywhere, as it landed on my shirt, and even more on Paula. I stood in front of her, and took out a big bottle rocket.

"Ness, get out of the way for a moment" I ordered lighting my match, and firing the rocket. All of us covered both guarding Paula in the process. When I looked at her, she really didn't look good...

"_She's weak Jeff, destroy her, now!"_ I heard something say in my head. I shook my head, ignoring the sudden odd thought, as Ness growled.

The pile of puke splattered more, but it still thrived. Paula was hacking behind us.

"You kids really think you can take me out that easily? I'm a mortal enemy to your kind. However, I'm not even Master Belch!" It spoke as the nauseating smell infected our nostrils. Ness's hands started to glow.

"Shut _up_!" He yelled as he attacked him with...whatever powers he had. The nice thing was that nothing splattered at us this time, but behind me, I could only hear Paula mutter "I need air...I need air..." while she seemed to put her hands together, like she was praying. Then out of nowhere, a light surrounded the pile of puke, and a hideous scream echoed throughout the well walls as the pile of puke seemed to melt away.

"Serves him right!" Ness exclaimed. I turned to look at Paula again, who was now swaying uncomfortably.

"_Kill her now!!"_ The voice spoke again. I growled in frustration.

"Ness, get over here!" I ordered again. When Ness was next to me, Paula started to vomit all over herself. Her face was pale white. My eyes went wide.

"_**PAULA!!**_" We both exclaimed in unison. Afterwards, we heard a man holler down at us "Is someone down there?!" Ness turned around and yelled "_YES! Help us, please!" _Ness panicked, picking up Paula and running to the latter.

"_Think of what marvelous things you could accomplish by just killing them, Jeff. You should do so before it's too late"_ It said again. Trying to keep sane, I climbed up after them. When we were out of that wretched well, as I gasped for air, the man was telling us about a valley with inhabitants in the cave up ahead.

"_Do they have a hospital?!_" Ness exclaimed.

"Yes, they do. But, I must warn you-" We were already running away from the man.

"**They're not human!**" He hollered at us.

--

By the time we had made it to the cave, we had dodged a couple of herds of enemies, and attempted to dodge a couple more in the cave. Paula had vomited at least three more times all over Ness. Along the way, we passed a weird looking creature that didn't seem to harm us in any way. Just by recalling what I saw in such a small time, it looked like a bald man's head. And I couldn't shed off the feeling of it following us.

When we made it through the tunnel, we couldn't help but stop in our tracks. The whole town was like a horrific dream in the scenario we were in. The buildings were tipi- like with bow ties at the top of all of them. And the things that inhabited this place weren't even human. They were all practically walking heads with big noses, whiskers, and one antenna with a bow tie. One of the beings ran up to us.

"Mr. Saturns..." Ness muttered.

"You look like you in big trouble, ZOOM" It spoke to us. Paula groaned, and clung to Ness.

"pppppiiiiiIIIIIIEEEEEEWWWwww! You three stinky, DING! You three need to go to doctor, BOING!" It spoke in its odd accent.

"YES! Please, where is it, where's your hospital? Can you help her?!" Ness asked.

"Follow me, BOOM!" He said as he led us to a nearby building that looked the same as all the others. As we followed the Mr. Saturn, another smaller one without any bow followed us.

Inside the small building, there was one bed, and one Mr. Saturn with a band around its head. Oddly enough, he was sitting in a trash can.

"PIIEW! You three STINKY! We can operate on you, DING!" He said as multiple other Mr. Saturns came out as Ness laid her on the bed. And all the Mr. Saturns gathered around her with tools, and wash clothes. Ness's eyes were very hard in anger and distress.

"Do you even trust these little people?" I asked Ness. "How do you know they can cure Paula?" Ness put his hand on his forehead.

"We've come across them before on our adventure. Paula trusts them, and so do I...I think" He replied.

"Once girl takes medicine, let her rest, ZOOM! Go to pond, middle of valley, go wash up, ZOING!" One of the Mr. Saturns gave her a small cup with purple medicine.

"Ness, Jeff, it's alright, this is the same medicine they use at any of the local hospitals when I was sick from before...they must have obtained a share of it somehow" She explained as she sipped the medicine. Ness and I glanced at each other nervously. After she finished, she brought both of her vomit covered feet to the ground, Mr. Saturn's surrounding her. She still looked pale, as she almost toppled over, but all of our fast reflexes prevented it from happening.

"She needs sleep, BOOM! Needs to change into different clothes first, DING!" Paula held her head as she lay on the small bed. Wincing, Ness and I studied her condition, and then looked at each other nervously. She was too weak to do anything, but she obviously needed to get out of her dress. And the Mr. Saturns were too small… then _that_ meant…

"But...she's too nauseous to do anything...that means..._one_ of us..." I started nervously. I glanced over at Ness who was blushed a deep shade of crimson.

"I'll do it...I... I've been around girls more than you...no offense" Ness stuttered reaching into his yellow back pack.

"She's just a little kid, and it's not like you'll be changing her into a clean pair of..." Now it was my turn to blush madly.

"_Thank Goodness_ I don't have to go that far..." Ness mumbled handing Mr. Saturn her night gown, then picking up Paula slowly, and carrying her into the lit closet while two Mr. Saturn's followed in after her. At least they were helping them...

_Poor Paula..._

"_Kill her… kill Ness… for the sake of humanity…"_ I shook my head madly, grasping my head.

"Shut up, _just shut up!_" I told the voice.

A few minutes later, the two Mr. Saturn's came out carrying Paula's dirty clothes, while a still blushing Ness held Paula protectively in her clean night gown, and laid her on the bed.

"Thank you" she said receiving a glass of water from a Mr. Saturn. Ness put a hand to his forehead. The doctor Mr. Saturn waddled up to us.

"Now Paula rests, you two need to leave her be for a while she rests, DING!" Mr. Saturn said while the others seemed to attempt to push us out the building.

"Get better, Paula!" Ness told her before being forced out of the tipi. I looked back at her, and saw her waving and smiling weakly. I waved back at her, before we veered to the pond.

"_You fool…"_

--

Ness halted, taking his dirty cap off, tossing it aside to run his fingers though his hair.

"I _can't_ believe this is happening… it's disgusting!" He ranted. I could only grunt in reply. Ness turned around to face me.

"You saw what happened. A thing like that shouldn't even exist! That jerk off Master Belch that everyone keeps bringing up will pay for this! If what that pile said about him is true… then Paula…" He shuddered at what was yet to come.

"_He's stressed out… do it… kill him" _The voice said.

"Ness, please tell me something… I don't really know why we're out here, doing who knows what. What are we trying to accomplish from all this, and why are Paula and I involved. Does it really have to do with us trying to save the world?" Ness gave me a dawned look.

"You don't know…? Something bad _is_ going to happen to this planet, let alone this universe, and as hard as it seems, we're the only few that can stop it" He replied, almost annoyingly. My lips formed an 'O'.

"I mean, couldn't you tell by that outbreak of zombies in Threed? The pile of vomit we just faced?" I stopped him from continuing.

"I _know_ it was for something important… I just wasn't sure exactly what it was. There just seems to be no reasonable explanation for all this, it's just all coming at me at once." I replied. Ness sighed.

"It's alright if you're confused, so was I when I started. I think Paula understands better than both of us, yet Paula keeps claiming that _I'm_ the one that Giygas is more so after."

"_Giygas is the almighty one… he's the one you must defend, Jeff! Don't let Ness feed you his lies!" _ My eyebrows frowned.

"Just who exactly is this _Giygas_ guy you keep bringing up? Is he the one who keeps sending things out to stop us?" Ness nodded.

"He's either an alien or some sort of evil force… not from this planet of course, but still. I was told from someone that claimed that they were from the future that the universe would fall under his plans if there was nothing to stop it. So I guess here we are…" Ness explained as best as he could. However, it seemed as if the more he spoke, the more distorted my vision became.

"_**Lies… lies Jeff**__!_ _**Kill him…**__"_ I held my forehead, groaning.

"… Jeff?" Ness spoke aware of my condition.

_"In the end… he will only go out to kill you, and everyone you love… you wouldn't want that, would you?"_ I shook my head madly.

"_Jeff, what's wrong!?"_ Ness exclaimed. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, both of their voices just seemed to talk to me all at once.

"_**KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW!!"**_ He finally shrieked before I lost control of my body, but was conscious at the same time. I averted my head towards the ground, my messy blond hair brushing against my bangs.

"Jeff…?" Ness asked. I didn't reply at first, but when he saw my rapid eye movement look up at him, he _knew_ something was terribly wrong. I was possessed by this being… It had to have been the ghost we saw back below the well.

"_Ness…"_ I rasped, forced angrily to glare at the boy I knew for not even a full 24 hours. Ness's eyes widened in horror, as I lunged out at him, wrapping my hands around his neck, as gravity forced us both on the ground. I wanted to tell him… I really did. My heart started to race from the lack of control.

_"Jeff! What are-"_ He choked as I strangled him on the ground. His scared blue eyes squinted as he tried to look me in the eye as well as trying to tug my grip away from him. I growled.

"_… Please…"_ I managed to gasp out, trying to loosen my grip. Ness grunted painfully. It was then that I felt my breath being punched forcefully out of my stomach, as Ness kneed me. My grip loosened, as Ness pushed me off of him. I rolled on my side, trying to breathe. Ness held his neck, and was gasping for air, like he had been under water for more than three minutes.

"_Jeff, you're possessed…_" Ness managed to speak. I groaned, trying to collect what he said while the ghost kept shrieking into my mind. I closed my eyes forcefully, feeling someone grab my hands.

"You need help…" I heard Ness say before I was completely lost in the voice in my head.

Before I knew it, the voice screamed for the last time, as everything started to become clear to me again. I opened my eyes slowly, Doctor Mr. Saturn, and Ness both looking back down at me.

"All better, ZING!" Mr. Saturn spoke before descending off. I groaned, groping my forehead.

"Are you alright now?" Ness asked cautiously. I sat up, starting to feel more energized, and me.

"Yes actually… I feel much better, what did you do?" I asked. Ness sighed, smiling softly.

"That's good. I just brought you back here where Paula is. You must have been possessed by that ghost back there, I could see in your eyes. Both Paula and I have been possessed before did you hear a voice in your head that ordered you to kill?" My eyes went wide.

"Yeah, he kept telling me to kill both you and Paula. I wasn't sure what to do about it… what to say." Ness sat beside me, leaning forward to stare into the distance, though there was a wall in front of us.

"It was a good thing that you refused. I didn't realize you had been hiding it in for this long. Nonetheless Jeff, I'm really happy that you didn't listen to it…" I nodded, wondering why his voice had gotten so soft.

"Is there something bothering you too? How's Paula doing?" I asked.

"She's sleeping soundly now… which is good. It's just this whole new ordeal that's going on is bothering me… that's all." I 'hmmed' in response. Ness snorted.

"Come on let's wash this foul stench off us at the pond they suggested. He said standing up again. He turned around to me as I stood, and looked at my eyes again. I raised an eyebrow, glancing around me. Soon enough, Ness smiled up at me.

"Just making sure" He snickered walking towards the door. I started to walk, but halted.

"Ahh… Ness?" Ness spun around raising an eyebrow. My expression must have been somewhat sheepish.

"Sorry… and thanks" I told him. It seemed to take a while for it to click, but soon enough, he threw me back a cocky grin.

"It's okay just _tell_ me earlier if you get possessed again." He said before darting out of the small building.


	5. The Disturbance in Master Belch's Lair

_**A/N**_: Thanks again for the sweet humble review, Orkidee, I'm happy you're enjoying this fic

Also, thank you, Charlett, for reviewing my fic, even though you're not liking it much, I appreciate the criticism on the writing itself, it really does need a lot of work, and I knew that before I posted any of my stories. (I hope you received my reply ) I just wasn't aware what fields needed the improvement in. Though you told me what was wrong generally, I wished you were more specific (like picking an area of my writing for an example) Though I thought that some of your thoughts on the story itself were a bit far fetched to my understanding, (I understand your points, it's just some of the things you stated in your review didn't even happen in the story) I still thank you sincerely for reviewing nonetheless, I acknowledge your opinion, and I'll look into that beta you mentioned. However, I'm not rewriting my story, at least not yet. I'm personally really proud of it, I've gotten really far with it, and it's only my third fan fiction on this site. :3

Just a heads up to all of you who are wondering: _Yes, Paula is eight years old in this fiction_. Is that canon? Of course not, I also picture her around Ness's age, but in this fic, she's eight. Don't worry; she'll have her dominating moments, and I'll be sure to develop her character as much as possible ;) Please, I'll state it again like in my summary; _don't expect this fiction to religiously follow the game for not all things are canon._ In fact, expect it to almost be drastically different from the game; at least character wise, for Paula isn't the only character that is different. Just think of it a very _very_ odd, and different re telling of the game. Nonetheless, the pairing NessxJeff almost ceases to exist, but I thought it would be fun to write this anyways! (my own run of the game convinced me sadly) XD I know this is embarrassing for me to reveal, but this is the first love story I've ever written that has gotten this far! :P

But other than that, to all of you that have been reading this strange little fiction of mine, and have been enjoying it, I thank you sincerely! You guys are awesome! :D Also another quick note: don't expect Ness and Jeff's relationship to sky rocket in the next few chapters, I like love relationships to crescendo _slowly. _ But they'll have their moments. :)

So yes, thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! (sorry for such a long author's note) X3

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_"Jeff! There you are!" She laughed picking me up away from my little castle of sand, my creation. She handed me into his arms as he lifted me up in the air, glasses gleaming in the Californian sunset, laughing light heartedly. _

_My mother held my hands as we made slow progression into the ocean waves. I flinched the first time the deep blue was able to nip at my toes. My father, already standing in the shallows of the water was awaiting my arrival. The first time I felt the water rush in between my toes, I laughed, wanting to reach down with my hand, and pick up the wet sand, in which I threw to my father in attempt to toss it to him. Frankly, the mud broke into tiny bits before it could even reach him, only to be washed away once again. _

_I eventually let go of my mother's hold, timid at first from the splashing waters, and the gentle winds. Father was only a couple of steps away when I toppled over, losing my glasses in the process. I dared not to open my eyes, the salt stung my mouth as it was. My entire world was crashing around me, until I felt two strong hands, lifting me away from the depths of hell, his voice cheering for me, "You did it, son, you did it!" Mother slipped on my missing wet glasses she found past my ears. He lifted me higher and higher in the air, as I would glance to the sun colliding with the horizon, then back down to my ever so proud father, smiling up at me in approval. I could only laugh as he cradled me in his arms, wrapping mine around his neck. My mother sneaked in to peck my cheek before doing so on father's lips. It was the single happiest moment in my life. _

_It was the very first, and very last day that I was able to impress him._

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxX

_ The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter five: The disturbance in Master Belch's Lair_

_XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxX_

I splashed clean, cool water on my face that cleansed my pores. I shook my head somewhat dry, my hair sprinkling water everywhere. We were at the pond in the middle of Saturn Valley, which apparently was a secret to most of, or all humanity. Ness dunked his head under the water.

"My clothes reek!" He complained, dunking his head back out. I could only chuckle in response.

"Isn't that ironic? We just washed these clothes last night, and now they smell like vomit" I replied. Ness snorted.

"It's disgusting! That pile of puke was a disgrace to the entire earth!" Ness ranted.

"Apparently Master Belch is worse, remember? And don't forget, he's apparently the cause of all the zombies." I reminded him. Ness frowned.

"If it comes down to that...Jeff, we can't bring Paula along." Ness looked at me. I looked at him in disbelief.

"But will she even be safe here? Wouldn't we need her when we even face him?" I asked in concern. Ness gazed at the reflection in the pond. Ness decided to shake off the subject.

"They keep talking about that jar of honey...if we take the jar of honey to him, maybe that'll be enough to convince him at least?" He said. We were both silent for a moment. My nose twitched from the aroma that wafted from our clothing. Ness growled standing up.

"That's it! I can't stand this stench anymore!" He complained as he pulled his shirt off over his head. When I saw Ness shirtless for the first time, I wasn't sure what I was thinking then, or what my face would have looked like. He body structure _was_ a little too lean, olive under toned skin seemingly glowing in the sunlight, but was dull compared to the multiple scars along his stomach, and back. Ness didn't seem to be phased at all as he reached down to unbutton his jeans.

I wasn't aware at the time that I was just _staring_ as Ness seemed to carelessly strip in front of me. Once he was only in his blue boxers, he wiggled his toes and just let himself _fall_ into the pond. The water splashed everywhere, as nearby Mr. Saturn's became alert of the sound.

"_What are you doing?!_" I asked feeling flustered.

"Jeff, hop in! It feels _nice,_" he said before he dunked his head under. However, I was stock still. Stripping to my boxers in public was just not my style, even though this community wasn't even human...and seemed very encouraging as multiple Mr. Saturn's carried soap with them, and danced around me. Maybe the 'un' human populated community made Ness more comfortable, but it sure as hell didn't help me. I spun my head around me, as the little head- like creatures danced around me, like I was the middle of their tribal ritual.

"Wh-wha-,"

"They want to wash your clothes Jeff, take 'em off!" Ness hollered at me before splashing water at my face, as some of it washed up my nose. My cheeks tinged pink from slight annoyance.

"Hey! I'll get you for that!" I yelled as I took off my uniform jacket. Oh jeez... I was undressing in front of everyone. The Mr. Saturn's seemed to help tug my pants off in a hurry. I felt so violated once my white button down shirt was off as well, and I was standing only in my own pair of plaid green and blue boxers. I was surprised, let alone embarrassed at how much fun Ness seemed to have, laughing half heartedly as he pointed at me. More Mr. Saturn's seemed to join him, and floated in the pond like rubber ducks. One Mr. Saturn jumped all the way to my eye level, and claimed my glasses with his nose, while the others behind me shoved me in the pond. I could have nearly drowned if it wasn't for the fact that the pond was so shallow, yet deep enough for us to swim in. When I got my head above the water, something was sitting on my head as I gasped for air.

"DING, DING!" A Mr. Saturn exclaimed on top of my head before jumping out of the pond. I heard Ness laughing.

"I can't see!" I gasped. All the sudden, I felt the water move all around me, and I felt something brush past my two ears. In an automatic annoyed gesture, I snatched my glasses away, putting them on, seeing a snickering Ness in front of me. I flushed angrily until we both spotted a Mr. Saturn float passed us wearing one of my socks on its head. Ness started laughing hysterically, as I claimed my runaway sock. It was then that Ness splashed me with water.

"_Hey!"_ I said splashing him back, only to be greeted by more crashing splashes, Ness cracking up the more we slapped each other with water. I wasn't long until I surrendered, stepping out of the pond. 

Bewildered, Ness said "What are you doing?"

"Getting out of the pond, that's what!" I replied. Ness frowned.

"Why?"

"Because… because I can!" I said taking off my glasses, and shaking my wet hair somewhat dry. Ness gave a disappointed grunt.

"You're no fun; even Paula's more fun than you!" Ness said. I shook my head. Ness sighed in defeat.

"Let's get ready to find some lead way to Master Belch then…" He spoke in a disappointed tone.

Once both of us were completely dry, we both helped put all of our clothes on the clothes line to dry them off. The Mr. Saturn community was so generous that they even offered both of us plain white T-shirts. However, we had to wear our pajama pants for our other pairs were still in the process of drying.

"Please help us, ZING! Mr. Saturn put to labor by stinky Master Belch, DOING! You three out to save world, BOOM!" They kept asking us everywhere we went. For some reason, I wasn't shocked to find that they knew we were out to seemingly save the world. They may have known about this so called prophecy for hundreds of years.

"How do we get to him?" Ness asked as one of the Mr. Saturn's told us the whereabouts of Master Belch's lair.

"Go out cave, ZOOM! Behind waterfall, door asks password, stand completely still and silent for three minutes, BOING! Mr. Saturn captive inside, ZOING! Master Belch inside too! Give him jar of fly's honey, PONG!" Ness and I nodded at each other and headed to the house with Paula.

--

"Paula..." Ness shook her shoulder lightly. Lying comfortably next to Paula was a small Mr. Saturn with no bowtie. I assumed the one that I had seen in the cave a little while ago. When Paula was able to stir again, she looked up at us, bags still hanging under her sapphire eyes, her skin looking slightly better, but was still pale.

"Ness...Jeff?" She groaned. Ness nodded sincerely.

"Paula, me and Jeff are going after Master Belch by ourselves, you just stay here, and rest, and we promise, we'll be back in a while, alright?" Ness explained. It seemed to take a while before anything seemed to click in Paula's expression, her head slowly swaying back and forth.

"But...don't you need me? We need to do this together!" She started to whine. Ness's expression was apologetic.

"No, Paula. I can't let you face him, at least not yet. You're still recovering from your sickness from that other little heap back there. There's no telling how bad it could get from letting you face something that _supposedly_ worse. You stay here, and just relax. The civilians here will care for you, I promise." Paula couldn't stop whining.

"But I wanna go..."

"_No,_ Paula! You're still sick! And the faster we can get this over with, the better! I promise that you'll help us with the next sanctuary guardian, who I have a feeling will be coming up soon, alright?" Ness said putting his hand on her forehead, and wiping her frazzled hair out of her eyes. Paula plopped right back down on her pillow, which made the bowless Mr. Saturn jump in the air.

"...Promise?" She muttered.

"Yeah...we promise," Ness said honestly. Paula sighed aggravatingly.

"You better get back soon… don't make me mad." I could tell by Paula's tone that she hated Ness's decision to leave her behind. Even though I agreed on Ness's part that she was sick, I couldn't help but feel her disappointment, like she was being kept at arm's length from taking part in the spar. Though I didn't know her much, she had to have been a bright girl. Had Ness been treating her like this since before I joined along? Ness chuckled softly.

"I promise; we'll be back soon." He stated. I asked myself, not how well he was taking care of her physically, but was she even happy?

"I'll be praying for both of you...come back safely" She yawned. Ness smiled, and leaned down to peck Paula on the forehead.

"Please rest up, you truly need it." Ness murmured in her ear, as Paula seemingly frowned angrily, closing her eyes.

"Let's go" Ness said leaving the tent without a second thought. I didn't move however, looking down at Paula's fragile frame, giving her a deeply sympathetic look.

"_I'm so sorry… you don't deserve this,_" I told her before leaving myself. On the corner of my eye, though blurry from my blind spot in my glasses, I could have sworn that she had sat up in response.

--

Silence floated in the atmosphere between us, as we departed from the hidden Valley known as Saturn. Through the tunnel, we were annoyingly stopped by a couple of cock roaches, one of them attempting to crawl up my leg. In reflex, I stomped hard on it, squishing and killing the poor little meaningless creature, as the other one attempted to get to Ness. Ness yelped, as he shook his ankle wildly. The cock roach flew to the ground as Ness quickly stepped on it.

"It bit me," He said sticking his tongue out at the now squished cock roach.

"How annoying, I hope they don't invade while we try to sleep tonight," I thought out loud. Ness agreed with a grunt.

"Like a bed bug? Hopefully not," He said before we were off again.

Making it outside, we spotted the waterfall in the distance. Along the way, fending off a couple of enemies, we both halted as we got there when I heard that cringing music from the sky. It was that god damn photographer.

"_Who the __**fuck;**__ is this guy who keeps falling from the sky?_" I muttered over to Ness. Ness sighed in annoyance.

"You've come across him as well? Just keep your cool, he takes pictures of travelers," Ness replied.

"_Picturestakeninstantaneously! I'm a __**photographic genius**__ if I dare say so myself! Get ready to make some instant memories, ready? Say… __**FUZZY PICKLES!**_" Ness sarcastically grinned; throwing up a peace sign as we were momentarily blind.

_"Wow! What a __**great**__ photograph! It will always bring back the __**fondest **__of __**memories!!"**_ He cheered before spinning into the sky again. We both sighed in annoyance.

"Let's just get this over with," I mumbled as we walked behind the waterfall where; according to the Mr. Saturn's was Belch's lair.

Water splashed my cheeks and lenses as me and Ness snuck behind the falling waters. The door was sturdy as steel when we looked up at the speaker above the door.

"Say the password!" Ness and I said nothing, and stood completely still, waiting patiently for three minutes to pass by.

"Ok... I guess you can come in," It finally said as something in the giant iron door clicked. Both of us pushed the door open. Inside, it was like an underground abandoned factory. Neon green slime oozed out of the cracks of the walls. It was faint, but the same musky smell lingered in the back of our senses. Neither of us spoke to each other much; brushing off some of the questions he asked. After venturing through multiple rooms, picking up items along the way, we ended up in the room with the biggest expected surprise so far. Mr. Saturn's were stretched across the room, enslaved to work on the many things that went along the moving belt.

"Hey, do any of you know where we can find Master Belch?" Ness asked. None of them replied. So we continued on going who knew where, when up a latter there was another enraged blob, but this time was made of a green goopy substance instead of a meaningless pile of puke.

"So you were the one who trapped all of the zombies!" It yelled as it flung green ooze at us. Dodging out of the way, I fired my gun while Ness used one of his super human abilities. Since it was two against one, the fight was over fairly quickly, and both of us got out in decent shape. In the next room, there were three trash cans that Ness started immediately digging through. Remembering when he dug for the fly's honey back in Threed, I asked, "Why the hell do you dig through trash cans?" Ness was unresponsive at first.

"Easy; free stuff. When I started on my journey, I was pretty reliant on the trash. Sometimes I had to eat the hamburgers I found inside." My insides twisted.

"You _ate_ a hamburger after it was thrown in the _trash_?!" I asked appalled. Ness stuck out his 

head and nodded. I stuck out my tongue in disgust, though Ness didn't seem to pay attention.

"Hey, what's this?" Ness asked pulling out an odd gun looking machine. Ness handed it to me, as I inspected it.

"It... looks like a gun of some sort," I answered. "But it looks pretty new, why would someone want to throw something like this away?" I said inspecting the gun, reading the label that said 'HP sucker.

"HP Sucker?" I thought out loud. By studying the structure of the machine, I thought maybe it had to do with draining ones energy? Though I wasn't sure, Ness shrugged.

"Why do you think it's so different from an ordinary gun?" Ness asked apathetically. Thinking through his question, I hypothesized.

"Well, it could have to do with transferring energy from one being to another. Since you can't create energy in the first place, maybe it's beneficial for both healing purposes and as a weapon. Whatever the case; maybe I could modify this later and make it possibly stronger. I wish I knew who built this," I explained as best as possible. Ness raised an eyebrow at me, a cocky smile lingering on his lips.

"You nerd" Ness chuckled. I was gawked at his suggestion, though technically it was probably true.

"You... you _trash eater!_" I shot back, feeling myself blush slightly. Ness started to laugh.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure. Exactly what your new... ' HP Sucker' is to you. I eat _treasure_." Ness remarked. I wasn't very good at the comeback thing that much. We kept quarreling with each other until we stepped inside to find a sparkling golden butterfly fluttering aimlessly.

"Oh!" Ness ran to the butterfly, and held it in his hands. The butterfly for some strange reason, made Ness looked entranced. I watched in both confusion and astonishment as the butterfly started to glow and circled around Ness's head. The way it made his cheeks glow, the way he closed his eyes as he seemed to embrace the butterfly as it vanished into his chest; it was all more of the strange. Though for some reason, even if I never touched it, maybe the butterfly entranced me as well? Just what was it used for? I must have brought my eyes to the ground during the time, because I was caught out of my reverie when Ness said something to me.

"Jeff? Are you alright? You seem zoned out," Ness stoically asked with a hint of humor underneath. I was speechless for the slightest moment, but then I shook my head.

"It's nothing." I mumbled, packing the HP Sucker in my bag before heading out the room, as Ness trailed behind. Along the way to the main chamber however, Ness kept throwing me skeptical looks.

"Don't bull with me, Jeff, I know something's up" I gave Ness a sideways glance. I might as well ask what I had been meaning to ask for a while then.

"It's not much. It's just...why do you and Paula own super human abilities?" I asked. It looked like something had dawned on Ness's face.

"Oh of course; umm... honestly, I really couldn't tell you. I guess it's just the way we are...and that's why we're the ones to defeat Giygas. At least that's what Buzz Buzz told me..." My eyebrow perked up.

"_Buzz Buzz?"_ Ness flushed slightly.

"Ok ok, I know it doesn't sound legitimate, but it's true! He came from the future to warn me that Giygas turned the future into a doomed time when the meteor crashed into my hometown!" Ness explained to me flustered. I nodded.

"I remember that. It was on the news; we talked about it in science for a couple of days. Those things can happen sometimes, they just haven't usually landed in developments, at least until recently." I replied. Ness frowned at me.

"I mean, don't _you_ have PSI powers as well?" Ness asked glancing the other way studying a hallway we passed. Wasn't it obvious by now?

"No... I don't use this 'PSI' you speak of. I'm just an ordinary guy" I stated. Ness gawked at me.

"Then...how did you know that we needed your help? _If you were ordinary, than why did you answer Paula's plea?_" I scratched my head. He was right, how did an ordinary guy like me receive a telepathic message in my sleep?

"Lucky guess?" I spoke, inwardly laughing as Ness's jaw dropped to the ground.

"So..._we could have been stuck in there forever?!_" I shrugged.

"Possibly; just be thankful that I came," Ness looked like he got a good slap of reality across the face.

"Could Paula have possibly called for _anyone's_ help?"

"No, not according to her, she had to find _the_ one to help us, and apparently that's you." I 

'hmmed' in response to his question.

"So maybe I was under her trance to go fly out in a sky runner to go rescue you guys."

"You think _Paula_ controlled your mind, and that's h-" We were stopped in our tracks by another green blob.

"Hey! Say the password!" It hollered at us. Ness and I stood completely still.

"Oho? So you two aren't going to say anything? That's fine, but you're not getting away without a-" Ness bashed it into the ground with his bat as we swiftly slipped passed him snickering to ourselves. It started hollering at us again, but its lack of legs didn't get him far. When we stepped into the next room, we immediately covered our noses and mouths from the foul stench that resided in its walls.

"Oh god..." I commented underneath my hands. Both of us coughed at least once. But as I scanned the room, I couldn't find anything besides the slime on the ground that could have been the source of the smell. I was all the sudden interrupted by Ness's frightened squeak.

"Uhh... _Jeff?_" Ness nervously said tapping my shoulder. I looked at Ness, whose face was horrific and green. I turned around to only find my entire being shutter.

There in front of us, was a giant green pile of slime, goop, and who knew what, that towered over our heads. One of its bright neon eyes poked out, and scanned the room. When it fixed its site on us, the other eyeball popped out as well as its fanged mouth.

**"BBBUUURRRP!!**" It was like an atomic bomb, the effect was devastating as the entire room seemed to vibrate as we were blown by the huge gust. It was as if someone threw zombies, blue cheese, molded feet, and puke in a blender, then shoved the contents up my nose. Good thing Paula wasn't with us after all.

"_So YOU'RE Ness... GYORK! There's a prophecy that a boy will destroy the master Giygas...HEEG! HEEG! HEEG!"_ It spoke to Ness, choking on its own words. I gave Ness a squinted glance as Ness seemed to bravely stand up to the Master Belch.

"Yes... I am" Ness timidly said. Master Belch started hiccupping again on its own acid, as if he attempted to laugh.

"_You make me laugh SOOOooo hard... If the Master Giygas is scared of someone...he would have to be worse than the Great Evil... GARG! GARG! GARG!"_ He said. I winced once two slimy extended tentacles seeped away from its vile form.

"_I'll take you down BIG time, so get ready for the worst fight of your LIFE! GAH! GAH! GAH! Get ready to feel the pain of TRUE nausea! Come on, let's go!" _

Was he _done_ yet?

Master belch had a very long range as one of its slimy tentacles swept out, and knocked Ness hard and swiftly on the ground. Master Belch seemed to stand up taller in preparation as it let out another nauseating burp.

"Ness!" I grabbed my new HP Sucker out, and aimed it at the blob. I was surprised to see that Master Belch flinched if not ever so slightly, as I felt something energizing rush though my veins. Ness got to his feet once more, and used one of his PSI powers that Master Belch trembled from. Then Master Belch only came back again, just the same as before without showing any sign of weakness.

"What are we going to do?! He'll just keep coming back to life as we get weaker and weaker!" I told Ness. Ness was quick to respond.

"Hold my bat, Jeff!" He said tossing his bat to me. He took out his back pack, and dug out the jar of honey. Master Belch lunged forward.

_"Is that FLY'S HONEY I smell?!"_ Almost immediately, I was shocked as Master Belch grabbed Ness along with the jar of honey with one of his tentacles, and dragged him closer.

"GAHH_!!_" Ness screamed before Belch constricted him. Ness looked as if his chest was being crushed.

"_LET HIM GO!"_ I ordered.

_"GARG! GARG! GARG! So this is the fate of the world...HEEG! How pathetic!" _It laughed as it brought Ness and the jar of honey to its mouth. My entire being was in shock as I ran up to him, I wasn't going to stand by, and watch an over grown blob eat a human being. Another tentacle rushed out to grab me, but I wacked it away with Ness's bat, though probably not as strongly as Ness would have. I pulled my gun out of my pajama pants pocket, aimed and fired at the Belches eye. Master Belch wailed in pain, 

loosening its grip on Ness. When Ness seemed free, he only climbed up the slimy being to his mouth. I went after him.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!" I yelled grabbing his waist when Ness was in reach. Both of us started to slip. Ness threw the jar inside his mouth. Master Belch reached one of its tentacles into its mouth and took out the jar of honey. It then snapped the jar and let the honey run into its mouth. Both of us slid down to the ground. Ness immediately limped back up onto his feet, and fired one of his PSI powers once more. I did the same offense, but fired one of my bottle rockets instead. It seemed as if Master Belch had totally forgotten about our existence, until I finally pulled out a weapon I had been hiding in my bag for quite a while. The bigger bottle rocket had to be set up on a stand in order for it to aim properly.

"Stay clear, Ness," I ordered, lighting one of my matches, and setting the big bottle rocket a spark. It wailed in pain, its tentacles waved in the air everywhere. Ness and I ducked onto the ground as we saw the Master Belch slowly retreating into the cracks of the walls. Its last gargled words seemed informative.

_"You two fended me off decently. However, Master Giygas has managed to get the Mani Mani statue to Fourside! The city will soon be living in worse conditions than residing in your own puke! Suffer, spanky!! GHA GHA GHA!!"_ It spoke to us one last time before disappearing. I let off a hefty sigh.

"What did you do to distract him from us?!" I asked Ness. Ness gasped for air.

"Master Belch was addicted to the honey, so it distracted him while we were fighting it. It was a good thing I did," Ness replied. Why the hell didn't I think of that? We obviously needed the fly's honey here. And I thought I was supposed to be the straight 'A' student...

Though I guess Ness had more experience _outside_ of school...

Ness collapsed on the ground and breathed harshly. I rushed over to him.

"Ness! Oh god, you're not hurt that badly are you?" Ness gasped for air; panting as he pressed his glowing palms on his chest, until he was able to magically stand up. His breathing pattern became normal, and all his scratches seemed to fade away. Ness opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"I'm alright," He said shrugging. I stared at him bewildered. He was just gasping for air, what did he just do?

"What? I just used life up alpha, that's all" He replied frowning. I formed an 'O' on my lips, still keeping my confused expression.

"Hey...don't give me that look! Yes, I have the ability to heal myself!" My eyes could have shot open, but it took a while for something clicked in my brain. I furrowed my eyebrows when I asked my next question.

"Wait, if you could heal yourself, does that mean you can heal others as well?" I asked. Ness casually shrugged.

"Well, yeah, why?" I couldn't help myself but feel somewhat angered.

"Then if you _knew_ you could heal others, then _why_ didn't you heal Paula before?!" Ness's eyes seemed to grow wide.

"That was different, Jeff! Even if I wanted to heal Paula then, I couldn't. She was nauseous. I don't know how to use healing beta yet, though I think it will be soon when I'll be able to use it..." Ness explained. I felt somewhat relieved, but it didn't stop me from muttering my next words.

"That _better_ be why," Ness furrowed his eyebrows madly at me.

"Hey, what are you suggesting? You don't think I'd help her out when she's in need?" Ness spoke harshly. I sighed as I rested my forehead in my palm remembering Paula's tired dull eyes while she lay in bed. She was obviously physically worn down back there, but her enthusiasm had instantly drained from her after the moment I met her for the first time down under the graveyard. There were some questions I needed to ask.

"How many times has she gone to the doctor since she's been traveling with you, Ness?" I asked keeping a monotone voice.

"Uhh... around I guess five times this past month...I was there about three..." I looked down at him in shock.

"_**Five times?! **_She's been to the doctor in the past month at least _**five times?!**_ That means she's been to the hospital at least once a week, not alone one of them _twice_?! What kind of danger are you putting yourselves in?!" I yelled. Ness didn't seem to fray however.

"How can we help it; Giygas's minions are always attacking us in every corner! It was the least I could do to go take her to the doctor when she was hurt whenever I could! And if I _didn't_ take her to the hospital, then she probably would have been in critical condition by this time!" Ness yelled back. I growled in frustration.

"For fucks sake Ness, she's only _eight years old__!_ You shouldn't keep letting these things happen to her! I mean, how well do you even protect her when you're going up against _what's his face's;_ minions anyways?! I know you two hold hands a lot, and you checked on her a lot back in the hotel, but for crying out loud, Ness, I didn't think her condition was _that bad!_" Both of us could see each other shaking out of frustration. Ness hid his eyes behind his jet black hair, hands balling up into fists.

"_You don't know the slightest idea of the kind of __**hell**__ we go through on a daily basis" _Ness's voice was filled with venom. I didn't want to admit it, but he was right there. I had no idea what kind of quarrels they lived through before I arrived. However, I carried out the tense argument.

"But the future is only going to get worse! She can't keep ending up in those conditions-"

"_She's still alive, isn't she?! Look, I know I'm not the best, alright? But we only had each other back then, it was the least I could do! It's not like I could baby her all the time like her parents could, I had to look after myself as well!"_ Something clicked again. _Her parents? _I balled up my fists.

"Really? Ok, now tell me this, _Ness_! _Compared to you __**how many times has she been able to contact her parents?!**_" I couldn't miss how Ness eyes shot wide open in horror. Timid blue gazelle eyes locked to mine while I glared back into his. Maybe Ness kept her out of harm's way, but she was far from happy. She must have been hiding it in for a long while. We stayed like this for a moment. Ness looked like he was about to burst into tears. His mouth trembled, trying to form words, but nothing escaped his lips. He was obviously speechless, and was trembling as well. Then right at the worst moment, a group of Mr. Saturn's had crowded through the entry way that was once blocked by Master belch.

"HURRAY FOR NESS AND JEFF, **BOING**!" A Mr. Saturn spoke from the distance. I kept glaring at Ness, who quickly turned to see the herd of Mr. Saturn's charging and sprawling around us. Slowly bringing my eyes down to the Mr. Saturn, I walked off silent, and furiously through the cave that the master Belch was guarding. I left without Ness. Though I'm positive I felt his timid eyes on my back.


	6. Just for Her

_**A/N:**_ Thanks again Orkidee, and thank you Meggy for reviewing this fiction! I'm happy that you thought the scene in chapter 5 was tense, I was hoping to pull it off! :D

Sorry for the delay on this part, I've been caught up slightly in life, and I had to do a lot of revising for this part, meaning that I had to rewrite a lot of things, and make it longer. But now that I'm done with this part, things _should _start to pick up a little bit. Note that I won't be able to update as often anymore, not because I don't want to, but because frankly, these parts are catching up to part I'm at right now, and after I post this, I'll have to be working on ch. 9 again. I'll try to update weekly if I can. Nonetheless, this chapter was _fun_ to write. ;P I've been wondering if I should do some character bio's or something. I probably will someday, but if you guys would like to see some, let me know! ;)

Warning again, a lot of things in this fic isn't canon, shonen-ai, I don't own the game, I maybe hiding under your bed, blah blah blah… wait, what?

Hope you guys reading this enjoy!

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxX

_It was Tony's eleventh birthday. We held him a party in our dorm room. I couldn't believe I was actually having fun with all his friends from his theater, art, and choir classes, even Nathan was there. We stayed up all night, it was only Friday night. We did everything from pin the tail, bashing a piñata, and then we listened to an adult talk show on the radio, snickering about all the inappropriate things they had talked about. But then we played a game I didn't like._

_Truth or Dare. I knew the dread to come... I just hoped it wasn't a question about my family._

_Tony that night had asked one of his friends if he had ever kissed someone. The kid answered yes, but only his mom. The next person to ask the honors was Nathan. I inwardly shuddered as he scanned everyone in the circle. I knew he was either going to pick me or Tony._

_"I pick Jeff" He said, evilly smirking at me. I gulped. Tony cheered._

_"Yay, Jeff gets to do something!" Tony laughed as his friends did with him. _

_"Truth or Dare?" He asked me smirking. I wanted to avoid anything with my family's identity at all costs. But I knew either way, I was screwed._

_"Dare." I was only the second one in the circle to pick it, second to Tony who was dared to sing 'What is Love? By Haddaway' on the top of his lungs at 3:00 in the morning. I could sense the excitement in the air. Nathan thought it out, looking around the room, when he finally scanned each and every one of us. His smile thickened._

_"Okay, I dare you to kiss Tony," He smiled. My face turned white. Everyone gawked at Nathan, including me and Tony. My stomach turned to stone; it was hard for me to breathe._

_"Do...do you really mean it?" Tony asked Nathan glancing at my bewildered form. Nathan nodded modestly. Tony and I looked at each other, Tony's cheeks looked rather flushed. What a dirty trick to play on us._

_"Wh...where?" I asked him timidly, my voice shaking. I knew he was enjoying this immensely. _

_"On the lips of course." Everyone 'ooed' as they squeezed their pillows; keeping their eyes wide open. Moments passed by, both of us just staring at each other. Neither of us made the first move. I couldn't shake off for the longest time how Tony gazed into my eyes. We could hear each other's hearts beating like crazy, that was how quiet it had gotten. I was tempted to make my move when one of the kids in the circle spoke up._

_"Nathan, can't you dare Jeff to do something less extreme? I mean, including Tony in the dare on his birthday is a little unfair, don't you think?" He said. I couldn't be happier when Nathan sighed._

_"__**Alright**__ fine... why don't you just strip into your boxers then?" He snickered. Tony's blush seemed to darken as I sighed in frustration._

_"__**Fine**__..." I grumbled starting with the tie. And there I was, in front of everyone, only in my boxers, sitting next to a very flustered Tony that was too shy to look at me. I couldn't be angrier at Nathan. I think he intended for one of his friends to protest, he just wanted to see if I was actually going to kiss my best friend, that jealous smug bastard._

_After my turn, Tony hadn't spoken a word for the rest of the night._

_XxxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxX_

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 6 Just for Her_

_XxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxXxxX_

I took in a deep breath once I could see the light in Saturn Valley, letting the breeze tickle my ears. I frowned grumpily at the cloudless orange evening sky. This was the _third_ time my clothes got filthy. My glasses were totally out of proportion again, as it leaned towards my left eye more than my right. I could barely walk, partly dragging myself; my knees could have collapsed to the ground. I wasn't used to all this _walking,_ period. And now, I was fighting with someone that I have to work with to save the planet, apparently. How many days had it been since I joined them, not even four? I was a complete mess... My mind couldn't focus, for the dilemma still boggled my memory.

_"Uhh... I guess around five times this past month...I was there about three..." _ I shook my head violently, but my headache still didn't pass.

_"For fucks sake Ness, she's only __**eight years old**__!! You shouldn't keep letting this happen to her! I mean, how well do you even protect her when you're facing what's his face's; minions anyways?!" _

"_You don't know the slightest idea of the kind of __**hell**__ we go through on a daily basis"_

"_Really? __Ok, now tell me this, __**Ness**__! Compared to you __**how many times has she been able to contact her parents?!**__" _

"Would you like cup of coffee, ZOING?" A Mr. Saturn asked sitting at a coffee table by the Pepto Bismol colored spring. Too bad Pepto Bismol didn't help me when I had an upset stomach.

"No thanks..." I muttered with annoyance at the Mr. Saturn before taking off down the latter. The smell on my clothes was starting to make me nauseous now; and it didn't settle well with my new found headache. If we had to run into anymore puke blobs, I swore the smell would have fried my brain cells eventually and leave me in a coma for days.

I felt as if I was being followed by a couple of the bodiless creatures when I was finally down in the actual valley, but when I turned around to see, it was only one of them. It looked smaller than the rest of them, and was bowless as well. The little creature looked dauntingly up at me before letting off a hefty sneeze through its nose, making its little body shake uncontrollably for a moment. I think it was the same one that was with Paula while she was resting. I could only shrug and walk off again, but the little creature still followed me. I frowned grumpily, looking down at my feet, where the little Saturn stood; twitching its nose as it sniffed my shoes. It shuddered from the aroma, and then looked up at me again with its small black bead- like eyes. For some reason, this Saturn acted different from the rest of them; for it never uttered a word.

"What'd you want?" I spoke to the speechless creature. The Saturn kept staring up at me, twitching its nose again, until it let off another rattling sneeze, which sprayed my shoes. I sighed.

"That's lovely," I said sarcastically. "But I need to be going." And with that, I was off again.

"There you are, Jeff," I heard Paula say from afar. I stopped in my tracks; snapping my head towards the source of the voice that was Paula, whom was sitting by the pond, dang her feet in the water. She was humming something; a song from her hometown perhaps?

"Paula…" I said softly. Paula looked up at me again. She seemed to look rather better I thought; her skin tone looked normal again, and her eyes weren't as droopy, but she was still seemingly exhausted. Paula patted her hand on the grass next to me in attempt to usher me to accompany her. I complied, taking off my black leather classmen shoes, and socks, and dangled my feet next to her. We were both silent at first, though she pondered around, as if something really was on her mind.

"You stink, Jeff," She said out of instinct, closing her nostrils between her fingers. I shook my head.

"I know, I know. I can leave if you want," I replied starting to get up, but I was stopped only when Paula tugged my sleeve in a gesture for me to keep still. I looked at her, as she weakly looked into the pond, possibly at her reflection. It needed to be asked.

"Something is bothering you, Paula," I finally said breaking the ice. "Something beyond your stomach illness. Care to talk about it?" I asked. Paula frowned as she seemingly gazed into her own reflection.

"You could see through it, huh? I dunno… I don't want to sound mean or anything…" Paula said before pausing.

"It's ok, I'll try not to take offense," I said nicely. Paula sighed sadly.

"Well… I know it hasn't been very long, but since you came along, things have been more uptight lately, as if we're all distant from each other now. I haven't been myself, Ness hasn't been himself, and you probably haven't been yourself either." She replied. I sighed, but didn't respond. _What did I do around them to offend anyone?_

"I never like it when Ness is overly protective of me, even in the smallest of situations. But this morning, he told me to '_be aware of you_', as if he doesn't want me to be anywhere near you. I was able to convince him a little bit that I would be fine. But I feel like that he's going to keep me from doing things just because he doesn't trust me being with you." She replied honestly. I frowned.

"Did he ever tell you _why _he doesn't trust me? Or is it just because he doesn't know much about me, and he's just cautious?" After I had asked that; now that I had thought of it, his dad had told me that he was timid when meeting other people around his age, could it maybe be just that? But then yet… _why _was he timid to meet people around his age? _Did something happen to him in his past?_ Paula 'hmmed' with disappointment.

"Do you think it could be just the fact that he has a hard time getting along with people his age?" I asked out of curiosity. However, Paula slightly shook her head.

"I wish that were the case, but I really thought it has to do with something that happened, maybe between the two of you?" I was silent once more. I started to wonder, was I a coward for not telling her of Ness's and my ordeals? I veered the conversation towards a different direction.

"Was he overprotective of you before I came along?" I asked. Paula shrugged.

"Well… yeah, but it's understandable since I have somewhat of a reputation around Twoson, and possibly outside of it." My head snapped to her in shock when I heard her say Twoson. She wasn't _that_ Paula was she?

"Wait… you don't mean…? You… _you're Paula Polestar?! __**The**__ Paula Polestar?!"_ I asked in awe. Paula gave me a sheepish, yet happy look as she nodded.

"You didn't know that before? Well, now I guess you do," She giggled. My jaw was still dropped.

"You're practically a celebrity; maybe not the super star kind, but you're pretty well known, even outside of Twoson. From what I've heard, you've made your entire hometown at awe because of your abilities. I mean… you're known enough to be reached all the way up in Winters! I… I didn't realize that you were her; I'm so sorry," I spoke sheepishly scrubbing my head with my hand. Paula chuckled.

"There's nothing for you to apologize about. In fact, I'm kind of happy you _didn't_ know. It would have been more of a hassle if you were a crazed fan, then it would have been harder on both Ness and I." She explained to me, making circular ripples in the pond with her toe. I frowned.

"You don't have any… stalkers or anything like that, do you?" I asked. Paula shrugged casually.

"Probably, I know I did back home, but my father always shielded me as best as he could from the public eye, while my mother frankly didn't really mind _where_ I was. It's not that she didn't care for me; she loves me as much as dad. She just _knows_ I can look after myself if I need to," She explained. I frowned, thinking back at the argument in Master Belch's lair.

"When was the last time you ever talked to them?" I asked softly.

"I haven't spoken to either of them since I left…" She sighed. My eyes hardened in the distance, until she spoke again.

"It's alright though. I still think of them, and I know they're okay." There was another pause. Both of us watched the bowless Mr. Saturn on the opposite side of the pond as it stupidly dipped its nose in the water; shivering from the contact.

"Something is bothering you too, Jeff. I can feel it. Do you care to talk about what's been bothering you?" She asked honestly. Though I appreciated the offer, my eyes didn't move from when I had finally spotted Ness in the distance. His head was hung low, and I was sure things would have gotten nasty if I stuck around. I sighed, as I stood up.

"Maybe later, Paula. But right now, I need to go." Paula nodded nobly. I left without a second thought. It was nice; I didn't need to tell her why.

--

It didn't take long; our clothes were finally dry. I handed a group of willing Mr. Saturn's my freshly slimed up puke green clothes. I felt relieved that the smell had finally started to fade once I loosely flung my black tie around my neck. My mind kept drifting off to what she had told me. _Just why exactly did Ness feel uneasy around me?_ We were once just playing in that pond, weren't we? Though I did somewhat ditch him at the last moment. The more I thought of it, the more my head ached. It shouldn't have to be like this. Though I could see why Ness was overprotective now, it still didn't seem to explain why he always seemed uneasy. Was it because I made him feel threatened that night in the laundry room? Though it didn't matter now, after that argument in the lair, he's probably going to dismiss me from traveling with them. What a waste of my time…

"Ness! There you are, I was wondering where you were," I heard Paula say outside of the small hut. I veered my eyes outside the door; straightening my glasses again. Sure enough by the pond was Paula, looking up at a very lifeless Ness. His head was still hung low, and his jet black hair concealed his eyes from the side. Paula's smile instantly was gone as they just seemingly just stared at each other; I couldn't tell from my point of view.

"What's wrong, Ness…" I could hear her barely say. I watched as Ness's fists shook as he shuttered from the question. Paula's eyes moved down to Ness's once he kneeled down to her level. It caught me by surprise as much as it did for her, as Ness; moments later, embraced her in his arms, almost forcefully. It took a while, until Paula wrapped her arms around his back, closing her eyes as she nuzzled her chin in the nook of his neck. Paula looked so calm; it almost looked like she was _comforting him._ It was this kind of affection, a close bond that was indescribable. I hadn't seen anything like it before. At least not since I was young…

"_Sorry for what?"_ I heard Paula murmur before they stayed in that position for five whole minutes.

--

Once night time had finally hit, I was beat. There wasn't much to eat; all I had was a lone calorie stick that Paula handed to me generously. I tried to refuse the offer, but she insisted, almost in an orderly fashion that made me claim the calorie stick as my own. Ness and I hadn't said a thing to each other since the argument, and he avoided me at all costs by residing on the other side of the valley.

It was that time of night again, a time where I liked my peace and quiet. _It helped me think nonetheless._ I rolled up my sleeves, and got out my handy red tool box. On the floor, I examined the broken iron that I had been lugging around for a while. I figured it needed some attention to the least. The whole structure was odd, for it was literally just a fat tube with a switch, but when I pressed the switch, nothing would happen. Fiddling with the mechanism more, I was shocked out of my reverie when Paula snuck up behind me.

"Hi, Jeff!" She spoke rather loudly. I flinched from the sudden intrusion as my glasses fell down my nose a certain angle. I scrubbed my head and glanced around me to find Paula in her night gown, blond hair was flown loosely around her shoulders as she held the bowless Mr. Saturn in her arms.

"Jeez Paula, don't scare me like that!" I replied feeling flustered as I grabbed the nearest wrench, while straightening my glasses with my free hand. Paula snickered.

"What'cha doin'?" She asked sitting down next to me as I worked.

"Just trying to work on something I've been meaning to, that's all." I explained. Paula gave me a skeptical look.

"Either that, or you're making it an excuse to avoid Ness," Paula suggested leaning back casually. I glanced over at her frowning.

"Why would you think that?" I asked.

"Because you two are fighting right now, isn't that right?" She said. I raised my eyebrow. I guess it was pretty obvious to say at the least.

"Huh, did Ness tell you that, or did you figure that out on your own?" I asked unscrewing part of the broken iron. However, Paula ignored my question, and just cut to the chase.

"What did you tell him to make him upset like this?" She asked me. I groaned in frustration. I really didn't want to talk about it.

"It was just over Master Belch, that's all," I lied. Paula shook her head.

"Don't lie to me, something is wrong, and it has nothing to do with that," She said smartly. I became hostile of the situation, dropping my wrench. Trying not to raise my voice, I said, "Well then, you know what? I don't want to talk about it now, do I?" Paula shook her head again.

"It doesn't matter… if you two keep fighting like this, then we aren't going to get any farther," She said in a softer tone. I let off a hefty sigh.

"If it comes down to that, then so be it, I don't-" I was cut off by the sound of someone entering the small hut. I snapped my sight to the noise. Surely enough, at the small doorway stood Ness, bitterly silent, as he glared coldly down at me. There was a tense quiet in the room as Ness and I kept silently glaring at one another. It seemed like several minutes, though it probably took only two minutes before Ness walked up to claim his back pack, and then turn around to leave again. Once Ness was out of the room, Paula sighed besides me.

"Jeff, you need to stop this," Paula replied cuddling the bowless Mr. Saturn. I adjusted another knob on the machine. On the corner of my eye, I could see Paula frowning in disapproval of me.

"Please think it over at least," She mumbled before getting up, and heading towards her bed.

What was I supposed to do, say sorry? I shook my head in frustration. _Thank you, Paula, now I can't even think straight_ I thought. I decided to call it a night, and put all my supplies away. Feeling my eyes droop past my glasses, I realize I was more tired than I had first thought. I slipped under a blanket that the Mr. Saturn community offered generously to us. As I felt myself drift off finally, I was interrupted again by Paula's small voice.

"You know… Ness might need the compromise more than you do, Jeff." She spoke softly. I breathed out of my nose.

"Well…" But before I was able to say what was on my mind, Paula was already sound asleep. I gave up, and drifted off myself as I counted up to 335. I don't think Ness ever came back in.

--

I woke up to the tingling sensation of the bowless Mr. Saturn on my cheek. Though without my glasses, he looked like a beige blob with eyes and a big nose. I must have slept soundlessly through the night. Checking my watch after slipping on my glasses, it was around 3 o clock in the morning. I looked over to find Paula sleeping peacefully next to me. We both went to bed early, probably around eight. I was beat, and my head still throbbed from the conversation last night. All I wanted was to avoid more arguing.

The bowless Mr. Saturn rubbed his nose under the blanket next to my thigh. Though he didn't sneak under the covers with me, he sneezed, and made a cute small squeaky sound to go with it. I lay back down, and tried to drift off again, only to find myself thinking back to the argument Ness and I had until soon enough those thoughts lead to memories of what me and Paula discussed. I frowned to myself.

Was I too harsh to him? I was only trying to stick up for Paula's well being, but there really was more to it, wasn't there? What if there was something I didn't know, especially between the two of them? I could tell by the way he held her so close, and the way she comforted her; I knew he cared for her, even before our fight. And it was obvious that Paula felt exactly the same. I just didn't want Ness to become so reckless with their safety...

…Just like I was at one point of my life I guess...

My head ached from sudden flashbacks of my life. I groaned silently, lifting myself out from under the covers and quietly snuck outside to let the breeze filter out my mind. I wasn't going to move too far from our little hut, just to the pond in the middle of the small crater. It was still dark outside; all the Mr. Saturn's were still asleep. I stretched out my spine, feeling it crackle as I decided to stroll silently around, mainly to circle around the small valley. However, once I passed by a decorated boulder, I froze.

Ness was curled up on the grass, sleeping peacefully next to the boulder. He had no blanket to cover himself with, and he used his own back pack as a pillow. He didn't even seem fazed by the cold breeze. I couldn't help but start feeling sympathy for the kid; he was all by himself in the cold. I wasn't sure how long it took me to leave him there. I had only known the boy for not even a couple of days, yet here I was, feeling _pity_. I didn't know what to think of him, at least not yet. I knew that I would somewhat get along with Paula; she seemed mature enough, almost in a freaky way. I didn't understand Ness; he was happy one time, and then next he would go under depression. Was he bipolar? Why was he acting so isolated from us? _Was I really that harsh to him?_

"_Mom…"_ Ness mumbled in his sleep as he grasped his backpack. I shook my head, for it started to hurt more.

He started to make me think too much.

I shook my head again before making my way towards the central pond. Gazing into my reflection, I noticed though my eyes though hidden, they were rather dull. I took off my glasses to rub my green eyes. I thought at the time, that I should have gone back to the hut with Paula, just to make sure. I yawned, and turned around to make my way; only to be halted by a tired voice.

"You blame me for not protecting her, and here you are, leaving Paula all by herself in that tent," Ness spoke coldly behind me. I rolled my eyes, facing Ness, whose hair was everywhere. The bags under his blue eyes had grown bigger.

"And what were you doing? Why weren't you in there with us?" I asked him. Ness's expression was confident but lacked a friendly compassion. He shook off my question.

"Paula watching us fight is the last thing she needs right now." Ness replied. I glared at him. "Why are you out here so early anyways?" He asked. I put a hand to my forehead.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air, is that alright? And you know what, you're right, she doesn't need to watch us fight. However in that case, I don't understand why you're trying to drag out the argument," I replied. Ness snorted.

"Oh _please_. If you didn't want to drag out the argument as well, _and_ if you _knew_ I wasn't in there with you two, you wouldn't have come out here in the first place." He smartly remarked. He somewhat got me there, but our debate continued.

"Ness, this can't keep going on like this. If I'm going to be here to help you guys, we can't keep branching off in different directions!" I said raising my voice. Ness flashed me an eerie smile.

"And how are we going to solve that?" I hated where this was starting to head. I knew before I said it that I was going to get it, _really bad_.

"Well, I dunno _Ness_, why don't you ask your _mother_ for a suggestion?" I replied smugly. I couldn't miss how Ness's eyes became animated in rage, as he threw his fist across my cheek bone. I must admit, he was pretty strong at the time, not so much as some of the folks I knew from school, but it was going to leave a nasty bruise, and a bloody nose, as well as a pair of glasses that were going to be more crooked than they had to be. But I could only smile, chuckling when he violently grabbed the collar of my shirt.

"_**You leave her out of this, alright?! I don't see you calling your parents either! I'm not stopping you!"**_ Ness snarled into my face. I couldn't help but laugh, almost hysterically.

"What _parents_ do I even have to call? I grew up on my own in a society where the weak are trampled over."

"_**You said yourself that you had a father, why don't you call him?!"**_

"I already told you, my father's a jerk. There's no need for me to call a _jerk _in the first place." I said tearing his grip off my shirt. It was Ness's time to smirk.

"You know what's funny, Jeff? The night when we had our first engaging conversation, I couldn't shake off my fear of you when I mentioned your _mother_. It started to make me wonder, why didn't you want to talk about her? _Hmmm?_ Did she abandon such a pitiful son?" He spoke softly in a sarcastic manner. I widened my eyes angrily. I kicked him in the stomach, down to the ground. I was then my turn to grab him by the collar. Ness disguised his pained grunt with a wicked smile.

"_**Remember this, Ness. I said my father was a jerk. I never said anything about my mother, so **__**why**__** do you assume that she was the one to abandon me?!"**_ Ness chuckled.

"Well why _don't_ _you_ want to mention her? Whenever _I_ do, apparently you get angry. That's what you made me, Jeff, you made me pissed off, so I'm only returning the favor." He replied. "So tell me then... why won't you call your mother?" He asked snickering. I growled in frustration, lifting a fist, until we were both caught out of our quarrel.

"_**STOP FIGHTING, BOTH OF YOU!!"**_ Paula screamed on the top of her lungs. Both of our heads snapped to look at her, both of us horrified. Her tears streaked down her now red face, but her naturally calm orbs were now a flame. I could see her jaws grinding together.

"_**NESS AND JEFF, HOW DARE YOU!! YOU BUTTHEADS BETTER KNOCK IT OFF!**__**You two are acting more childish than a couple of five year olds! There's no need for you two to fight! We have to do this together. **__Besides, we're supposed to take care of each other, not kill each other! Please...stop fighting..."_She spoke in frustration before going up in tears. Ness and I were stock still watching Paula cry. I let go of Ness's shirt while giving him a nasty glare before standing up. Ness brought himself up off the ground as well, handing me the same look, but then attempted to approach Paula.

"Paula..." Ness mumbled. Nonetheless, Paula stepped back.

"_**Don't come near me!**_" She pouted as Ness backed off. She sniffed while balling up her fists.

"We'll promise Paula, we'll never fight again, just please stop crying" I asked her politely. However Paula's head shook side to side.

"_Jeff, do you honestly think that I would believe that?! In the meantime, I'll __**make sure**__ that you two will become friends, got that?" _Paula spoke coldly.

"I...we don't know if we can do that, at least not now..." Ness muttered. Paula shook her head violently, face becoming more enraged.

"_Yes you will! You two __**will **__be friends! In fact, you two will do exactly what I say in this very moment!"_ Ness and I glanced coldly at each other. However, Paula's simple order was enough to change the intensity in the air to a whole different level.

_"And you know what you two are going to do? You two are going to hug each other for as long as I order. Until that time limit is done, you two are not going to break away, got it? And until this is over with, I'm not letting either of you near me." _Both of our jaws dropped in shock.

"_**WHAT?!**_" We both exclaimed in unison. Paula sniffed again.

"That's _right!_ Both of you are going to hug each other! While you do so, think over what you've been quarreling about! I'll be standing here, as long as it takes." She ordered. I couldn't believe what I was hearing from this girl. _After nearly getting into a fist fight, she honestly thinks that Ness and I are going to hug each other?_

"Oh, and if this kind of thing _ever _happens again, you'll be kissing." _Great_ I thought sarcastically. Neither of us dared to move, nor look at each other period, until Paula spoke impatiently tapping her foot, and crossing her arms.

"Wh… why the hell do we have to _hug_ each other? Can't we just shake hands and call it a day?" I asked bewilderedly. Paula shook her head.

"I'm _waiting."_ My sigh was staggered as I started to feel myself shake. I shuttered when _anyone_ even came near to making contact with me, and now I had to hug this _boy_ I barely knew, but already started dreading. When Ness and I finally looked at each other, his expression was almost horrid. Was he scared to do this as well as me? Ness's complexion wasn't even dark, it was pale white. Though I couldn't see, mine was probably the same shade. Neither of us moved.

"Damn it, if you two boys don't hug each other when I count to three, it'll be a _kiss_ instead. One…" Our eyes widened, both of us inched forward, but neither made the first move.

"_Two…"_ _Damn, she owned us hardcore._ Ness however was still, and had started to shiver. I frowned angrily at him.

"God damn it, Ness, do you really want her to count to three, or what?!" I spoke, realizing my voice was shaken up; grabbing his wrist, and wrapping my arms forcefully and stubbornly around his waist. My sigh staggered, as I could finally feel Ness's arms shyly wrap around my back.

"Good. Now stay like that until I tell you to move. In this time, _think_ over what you two were fighting about, and compromise." She said sitting down, and leaning back. This was possibly the most embarrassing thing that I _had_ to ever do in my entire life. I never realized how… _demanding_ Paula could actually become. I guess it was for our own good…

"Way to go, Jeff, Paula's pissed off, I'm pissed off, and you're pissed off. If you didn't come out like you did, none of this would be happening," Ness muttered angrily.

"Well it would have also helped if you didn't _drag_ out the argument," I muttered back. "This is stupid anyways, why is she making us do this?" I asked. Ness shuttered.

"To make sure we're sorry. You may not realize this, but she-"

"Paula Polestar? Yeah, she told me yesterday." Ness grunted. Our embrace was starting to make my head spin. Some of the stench from Master Belch still lingered around us as well as our own body heat. I think my heart started to beat at an irregular speed from the awkward silence. I was never this close to _anyone_ for this long.

"You two getting along?" Paula asked innocently petting the bowless Mr. Saturn. I rolled my eyes. _This was ridiculous._

"Let's just apologize so we can get this over with then…" Ness muttered. "Though in reality, you really did tick me off enough to punch you across the face." I snorted.

"So what do you want me to apologize about?" I asked.

"What do you think? For being a total jack off, that's what!" Ness replied harshly.

"Ness, don't call Jeff names." Paula said. Ness growled in frustration.

"Yeah, Ness, don't call me names," I said snickering to myself. Ness's mutter was almost silent.

"Shut the fuck up, Jeff." I inwardly laughed at his remark.

"_Make_ me," I taunted him. Ness shuttered before I felt two sharp nails pinch the back of my neck. I shivered from the pain.

"_Gah! Don't do that!"_ I muttered angrily; pinching his lower back as hard as I could. Ness's entire being shook, wincing in slight pain, until he managed to utter a chuckle, pinching the same spot on the back of my neck. I was surprised to find that Paula didn't yell at us or anything.

"_You'll pay for that!"_ I snarled pinching him again. We both cringed, every time we could hurt each other as best and painfully as we could, in the scenario we were stuck in. Oh, what a horrible scenario it was. It was after I pinched him again that Ness decided to take it to the next level. Ness snickered evilly as I felt his breath against my neck. I shivered, as the heat rose to my cheeks.

"_What are you doing?!"_ I asked timidly pinching him again, until I felt his teeth clamp forcefully on my neck. _Damn it! _In reply, I stomped on his foot forcefully, and wouldn't you know, he wasn't wearing any shoes to go with them. Ness yelped in pain as I pinched him in the nook of his neck; right in the place where one of the zombies we ran into bit him. Ness hissed.

"_Seriously, Jeff, is that all you can do?"_ He winced. I snickered darkly.

"_What, do you really want to take this further?"_ I replied darkly. "Like she said, we should be _compromising_, not _torturing_." Ness's breathing pattern became harsh. I could have sworn that his heart was beating rapidly, but I wasn't sure, for mine was at speed as well.

"_Well I can make an exception_," Ness muttered angrily. But neither one of us did anything else, until Paula finally spoke up.

"Okay, you two can stop torturing each other now." She smiled innocently standing up, and brushing off her night gown. "Now let go, shake hands, and apologize!" She ordered semi harshly. Both of us grumbled as we broke our torturous embrace, neither of us made eye contact. I realzed at that time, how much I was actually _shaking_.

"_Look_ at each other, shake hands, and say you two are sorry for acting like such imbeciles," She ordered again. When I brought my eyes to Ness's face, it was already flushed in anger, as his face pouted. There was already a red spot forming on his neck where I had pinched him. Ness immediately broke eye contact, quickly averting his eyes to the side. I was surprised to see Ness reach out his hand first. It took a couple of seconds for it to register, but I accepted his hand into my own.

"Sorry 'bout before," I spoke as nicely as I could, though it was still hinted with anger. Ness's voice was very small; very silent.

"_Sorry."_ Both of us glanced to Paula, who was now smiling gleefully.

"_Yay!_" She smiled as she walked up to us to hug us both. She stayed like that for a while, though I was really starting to hate the contact. She looked up at us both; a sad glaze decorated her sapphire eyes.

"It would make me really happy if you two got along…" She said smiling. Paula let go of us, as she turned to head back to the hut. I glanced over to Ness whom was already making his way to the hut. I sighed, reaching to grope my now throbbing neck as I followed.

"G'night" She murmured before falling back asleep under her blanket; cuddling up with the bowless Mr. Saturn.

"Night, Paula." I replied before crawling back under my blanket as well. I glanced over to Ness, who was lying down, back facing towards us. I sighed shaking my head before lying down. I didn't think that we truly meant it; it was all for Paula's sake. And that was fine, as long as we could cooperate once and awhile. Though one thing was for sure…

Ness hadn't spoken another word to us for the rest of the night.


	7. Times a Trillionage

_**A/N:**_ Thank you babyangel22, and The Leander again for such sweet reviews! x3 And Thank you so much for the encouragement, both of you, on the story, and the writing itself, it really means a lot to me. X/3 I'll try my best to improve my writing as well; it's a goal of mine after all! :o And babyangel22, I'm sure you're a wonderful writer, I'll have to check out your fiction sometime! :D And thank you The Leander for making me realize that this fiction _is_ and AU, for I totally forgot that term even existed! XD

Oh, and if you read this, thank you, YukuTiszuki, for the comment on DeviantArt! I wasn't even sure if anyone was going to even find the first chapter on there. I'm happy you're enjoying it! X3

Yet again, it took a while to get this chapter on the road. It's pretty much the same excuse from my last chapter, except to a different extreme. I literally needed to write this one out again, because this part was originally supposed to be with the last part, but I decided to break it apart, I guess. So yah…

Next Friday, I'm going to spend the day in San Francisco with my sister! :3 I may be able to get ch. 8 up before then, that part will be easier to revise hopefully, depends how busy I am before with school and all. So I may not be able to upload as quickly. Oh, and my folks are leaving me alone in the house for at least a week after that, so I may be _too busy_ to do too much. I'll see what I can do.

Oh, and a quick note: _Most_ of you should recognize the intro's setting, if not, you may be confused! XD

Hope you guys enjoy nonetheless! :3

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxX

_I was lonesome, scared, trapped inside this shell of glass. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe; but I watched, and felt myself lower unwillingly down onto a stage, which had been floating in outer space all this time. Was I trapped in the glass chamber to keep myself alive? That couldn't be possible, there were four others on the stage as well, but they were fighting. __**It was a mosh pit of doom**__. I didn't understand why, but I inwardly screamed when I saw just how small I really was compared to everyone else. The smashers were seemingly giant if you will, and I was about to be a part of their grind fest. I was temporarily blind from the star patterns glaring through the glass; as well as my glasses for a bonus. The distance would gradually begin to glow white, just like that scene in the movie Star Wars. What monstrosity! But still, it looked like the middle of nowhere to me. _

_Final Destination is what others would call it I guess. How do I know this? Just where were we heading? _

_The first thing that caught my eye when I had landed onto the stage was a young blond, timid boy dressed in jeans and a red and yellow striped tee. I blushed when his innocent blue eyes spotted mine. A smile lit up his rosy cheeks, as he approached my still form. Maybe he would free me from this prison I was locked in, maybe, __**just**__ maybe, I would be set free. Then yet, I thought, I hoped he wouldn't._

_The blond boy examined me, putting an index finger to his lips as he brought his hand to grab me like a lifeless doll. My heart started to pound. Just what exactly was this boy going to do?_

_In a matter of seconds, I watched in horror as another small man's black shadow held up the number '9' above his head, hammering the boy in the head with a loud forceful clash. In an __**instant**__, the young and innocent boy flew off into infinity. I got a good look at the predator._

_This seemingly two dimensional being that had come out of nowhere had no eyes, and no settle movements. One frame he would be in one position, the next, he'd be in another. He rang a bell, which sounded more like an old fashion cell phone ring to me. He approached me, __**click, click**__, sang his feet as he walked._

_Before the strange man could reach me however, he too was knocked away by another, a dark, bulky and murderous man, roaring in rage when his palm glowed purple. There went the two dimensional man at lightning speed, I thought. If I could, I would be trembling, once his wicked, golden eyes spotted mine. His dark skin was slightly tinged green, and his black, medieval armor and cape suited him. __**He looked like a god.**__ Laughing hysterically, he picked me up, and held me over his red spiky haired head. His golden teeth glistened as he spoke to me. _

_"Tear these worthless entities down, __**my assistant!**__" He snickered. Assistant? Well at least I didn't have to worry about him hurting me then, I thought._

_"Let it down, Ganon__**dork**__, and hand over the assistant trophy," I heard someone's familiar voice say. My eyes widened, as well as the man's did when we spotted a very smug, very egotistical Ness. _

_However, he wasn't dressed in his normal blue and yellow striped tee, but instead wore a black shirt with a Mr. Saturn logo, and a dark purple cap. He would have looked emo if it wasn't for his smirk. The man holding me let off a hefty laugh._

_"And what can your meaningless 'PK' powers accomplish? I already told you, __**I am Ganon**__**dorf**__**, the King of Evil.**__ Only the __**Blade of Evil's Bane**__ can slay me." Ness started chuckling._

_"Those rules don't exactly apply here, but nice try anyways," Ness replied. Ganondorf growled angrily, tossing me into the air as swiftly as he could, just to charge towards Ness. _

_I was let out of my cage as the glass shattered around me; I grew back to my normal size instantly. I gasped, and choked on my breath. Straightening my glasses, I got up off of my knees to watch Ness and Ganondorf's duel to the death. Ness was __**fast**__, faster than Ganondorf, as he knocked him down on the ground using his bat. Ganondorf got to his feet, and ran towards me. In a fit of rage, he grabbed me forcefully by the collar of my shirt and spat into my face._

_"__**If you don't fire off those damn rockets at this very moment, I'll fire you along with them myself!"**__ I shivered as my glasses became out of line._

_"O-Okay…" I managed to say before we were both distracted by a glowing colorful orb. Ganondorf's irises widened._

_"__**Fire them, now!!" **__He shouted; tossing me aside before chasing after the orb. My knees trembled though they were locked into place. I didn't think Ness was even aware that I was here. In a sense, I was glad he wasn't. I collected my senses, and brought my sight to a set of rockets aimed towards the sky; ready to be launched. My trembling hands reached for the random box of matches on the ground._

_"__**DON'T LIGHT THE ROCKETS!!"**__ Ness shouted angrily. I gasped as he landed swiftly next to me. His blue-gray eyes glared darkly down at me._

_"__**Jeff, if you light those rockets, I'll kill you when you wake up,"**__ Ness threatened. I gulped. What was better, being fired into the air by a godly man, or being slaughtered by the boy I barely knew when I woke up? I was screwed either way…wait a minute…_

_Ness was off again, dodging whatever attacks Ganondorf threw at him. What was I to do, nothing? With a daring leap, Ness jumped on top of him in the air towards the colorful orb that they had been chasing for minutes._

_"__**DON'T DO IT!!" **__Ness shouted again, as he smashed his bat into the orb, breaking it apart. Ness absorbed the powers of the orb, which made an aurora glow like the northern lights around his body, and his once blue irises literally had shown a golden light. Ganondorf roared._

"_**FIRE THE ROCKETS!!"**__ Ganondorf shouted. But I couldn't, I was frozen stiff in awe. He floated, and smirked to me. Ness outstretched his hands above his head, trying to reach for the stars._

"_P…K…__** STARSTORM!!"**__ He shouted to the sky. Horrifically, looking above us, multiple white comets came pouring down onto us. I was frozen, as I watched my eyesight fade into whiteness…_

"_**Gaaahhh**__!!"_ I shouted when I woke up. Sweat coated my forehead, my heart pounded; it took a moment to collect my senses as I panted. Without my glasses, all I could see was darkness. _I was dreaming… it was only a dream…_ I thought to myself over and over again. I plopped back down, staring off into the distance… I hope I didn't wake up Paula or Ness… I sighed, and closed my drooping eyes. Recollections of my dream, and our fight flooded my mind before I was able to drift off again.

Seriously though… _what the __**fuck**__ did I just dream about?_

XxxxXxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 7 Times a Trillionage_

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxX

"Jeff! Wake up, Jeff!" Paula giggled as I felt something smooth, wet, and warm on my face. What the hell? I could have sworn something wet sprayed my cheeks. I crinkled my nose in protest, bringing my fingers to touch the slippery sticky substance that coated my freckled skin. Once my brain clicked into beta mode, I gasped, and shot up feeling my cheeks glow, and my heart pounding. Gasping for air, I pulled on my glasses swiftly to meet a bowless Mr. Saturn with a runny nose on my lap. Paula laughed out loud as I light heartedly glared at her. I sneezed, and rubbed my eyes.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked wiping my freckled cheek off.

"You should have seen your face when Mr. Ziggy sneezed on you!" She kept snickering. I raised my eyebrow and looked down at the Mr. Saturn.

"Mr. Ziggy? You named him Mr. _Ziggy?_"

"_Hey_, what's wrong with that?" She asked. I snorted to myself.

"_Heeeeeeeeeey!"_ She complained as I started to laugh; covering my eyes.

"What a _ridiculous name!_" I snickered. Paula pouted in response.

"Well, why don't you name him something _better?_" Paula asked putting her hands to her hips.

"Nah nah, its fine its fine… _Mr. Ziggy!"_ I snickered again. Paula frowned. In the meantime, I tried to collect myself, coughing in the process.

"Okay ok, it's a good name, I promise." I told her rising from under the covers feeling my stomach growling.

"You're _hungry_," Paula said. I rubbed my tummy.

"I know…" I moaned as my stomach complained again. Paula reached into her small bag and pulled out what looked like a sandwich, but was mashed and cramped in plastic wrapping.

"It's a skip sandwich, you need it more than either of us," She smiled. My mouth curved down; it looked like it was at least two days old.

"Are you sure you don't need it?" I asked. Paula nodded as she stood up, and shoved it into my grasp.

"Just eat it," She ordered before walking out of the hut. I shrugged, and took my first bite, tentatively at first; I ignored the disgusting texture, but the flavor was still okay.

Walking out of the hut would have been fine, if I didn't literally bump into something on the way out… more like someone. It was so quick and so sudden that my being shook still, until Ness almost immediately flung himself away. The now sore bruise on my neck reminded me of last night. I inwardly cringed at the memory of such _closeness._ _That_ wasn't a dream… _I did hug Ness_ I thought. We both still hated our guts apparently; judging by the unwelcoming expression that decorated his passive face.

"Hey," Ness grunted as he brushed passed me as quickly as possible. _Thank you Paula, we'll be friends for sure now!_ I thought sarcastically in my mind as I flashed him a grumpy look.

"Hey yourself," I grumbled watching him take his back pack to the very opposite side of the room. Ness roughly packed away his clothes.

"Look. Whether _you_ like it or not, we're going to the third sanctuary location today. If you don't want to tag along, it's fine by me, but don't think Paula will let you stay behind either," Ness explained. Third sanctuary location? Was that one of the places I was told about before?

"What's a _sanctuary_ location for?" I asked. Ness's sigh was impatient as he put on his red hat roughly, and grasping his bat.

"Just a place we need to head to if we're going to save the planet, nothing more." Like hell there was more.

"So you gotta decide right now, we're leaving at this very moment." He said walking out of the building. I rolled my eyes. _Paula wasn't going to leave me._ So I guess I had no choice. Grabbing my strap bag, and stuffing my red tool box inside, I followed, several meters away, but I followed, as the Mr. Saturn around us praised us.

"Yay for Ness and his friends, BOOM!" One of them said. _I think I just had it with these nosy little critters._

"Ness, we can't leave Jeff behind!" I heard Paula told him. Ness brushed off the statement, and ignored it, until Paula growled in frustration.

"_We're going to do this together,_" Paula said coldly. Ness stopped to glare down at her, as if he wanted to say something nasty. Paula Polestar however was not buying it, standing for what she believed in so much that Ness sighed in defeat.

"_Fine, we'll let him catch up."_ Ness snorted crossing his arms. I sighed as I caught up to them, keeping my eyes from landing on Ness in any way, shape or form. Paula looked as if she was going to say something, but decided not to. While we walked in silence, Ness stopped in his tracks.

"What is it, Ness?" Paula asked. Ness shook his head.

"I dunno… I have a bad feeling though… should we go see what kind of junk the Saturn's here have to sell to get ourselves prepared?" Ness asked more so to Paula. Paula nodded.

"That's a great idea, Ness," Paula said. "Is that ok with you, Jeff?" Paula asked me. I appreciated the fact that she was trying to include me, I really did. But it only seemed to make things even worse.

"Yeah, that's fine," I replied. I didn't miss the glint in her eye.

"'Kay," Ness muttered turning away.

--

"Damn it, they don't have any new bats…" Ness complained.

"Well what do you think, creatures like these wouldn't be able to use bats, Ness," Paula replied. Ness sighed in annoyance.

"I know, I know. It's just I don't think this bat will last much longer. I can at least get us some defense items at the least. Besides, you need a new ribbon anyways, that one's getting old, and it still reeks from the puke blob," He said handing the Mr. Saturn some cash in exchange for the ribbon, a bracelet, some herbs, and a horn of some sort.

"Thank you, Ness," Paula smiled receiving her ribbon. I'll give Mr. Ziggy my old one when we come back." Ness nodded.

"Well then, let's get going then," Ness said before Paula tugged on his shirt.

"What?" Paula pointed at me. Raising my eyebrow, I pointed at myself in confusion.

"Get Jeff something, he needs to be protected too," Paula said. Ness rolled his eyes.

"_Fine._ Jeff, pick something out." I shook my head. I really didn't like the thought of using someone else's cash.

"It's your money Ness, I don't need anything that you don't want to offer," I replied semi coldly. Ness growled.

"Yeah, it is my money, so what? _Pick something."_ Ness spoke harshly. I wasn't sure what Paula did when she made a gesture to touch Ness again, but it was enough to make him squeal.

_"Ouch!!"_ Ness yelped. I inwardly snickered.

"Are you sure I _will_ need something?" I asked him. Ness looked like he was about to explode, for his face started to change color.

"_Fine, fine_, I'll just take a silver bracelet as well, if _you_ don't mind," I replied feeling my mouth curve up when his eyes widened.

"_Those are expensive! OUCH!!"_ Paula pinched Ness again as he snarled.

"_Alright, alright, __**you win, Paula!**__"_ He handed the Mr. Saturn the extra money for my new silver bracelet. Better than my cheap one I thought. But really… _how does a bracelet defend one that's holding it?_ Ness shoved the bracelet into my hands, while I handed him my cheap one for sale.

"Hmph, at least I'm getting _some_ money out of this," He said receiving a few bucks. Paula smiled.

"Really, Ness, I didn't think you'd even offer. _Thanks for the deliberation,"_ I spoke sarcastically, but happily flashing him a cocky smirk. Ness flushed angrily, and pushed passed us.

"Let's just get going," He spoke in a flustered tone before we headed towards the mountains. Paula smiled up at me. I formed the words _thank you_ on my lips for her.

--

Frankly, all three of us were miserable walking through the mountains hours later. We were attacked by rabid sprouts, mushrooms, and weird creatures called _'Ranboobs.'_ When we approached the cave, we were practically dragging our feet up.

"_Please_ tell me that this is it!" Ness groaned.

"We can make it, Ness, just have faith in yourself!" Paula said. Ness snorted as we progressed through the cave.

"Yeah, that's easy for _you_ to say!" He remarked. Paula laughed. It was nice though the trip was hard, that everything seemed partly normal. Ness however, refused to talk to me since the store incident. In the distance, after venturing through the cave for a little while, we spotted a glowing orb blocking a different cave. Now that I thought of it...it looked exactly like that spot I saw in the cave leading to the lab up in Winters.

_Only Ness has the power to absorb this location_ it whispered to me back then. I was knocked out of my reverie when Ness sighed.

"Well...there it is," Ness sighed. "Let's get this over with."

"_You finally got here, Ness, I've been waiting for you..." _The orb spoke to us. Ness snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I need to steal this location to call my own, you don't have to tell me," Ness replied. The orb chuckled.

"_Then that makes the deal easier then… you can't call this third sanctuary your own until you erase my name… so… dare to take it from me?"_ It spoke before fading into something different. When the being finally transformed, I was afraid at first that it was another puke blob. In reality, it was a giant pile of dirt that had sprouted a yellow stem on its head. A root-like mouth, and two eyes; similar to Master Belch's, formed on its body. Three minions of his; retreated to its side.

"_I am the Trillionage Sprout. This sanctuary location belongs to me now!"_ It shrieked. I winced as its roots outstretched, and at amazing speed, attempted to whip one of us. Ness held up his bat while Paula held up her hands. It was obvious looking at the way things were, that we would need to turn up the heat in this fight. Paula in reflex to the sudden attempt used one of her PSI powers, in which all of the smaller sprouts went up in flames. Trillionage shrieked again.

"Now, Ness, get him!" Paula ordered. Ness grunted, and ran up to Trillionage to whack him on top of the head, while it was stunned from the flames. Ness backed off as it started to laugh again. Trillionage shook off the flames.

"_It will take more than that to defeat me,"_ It grunted as an aurora surrounded itself.

"_Did he just use life up alpha?!_" Ness questioned. It was then that Trillionage's eyes scanned us all that I saw a mysterious glint in its eyes. Whatever it was, it sent shivers down my spine.

"_Don't look into its eyes!_" I yelled. Ness and Paula gave me skeptical looks.

"I… I don't know what exactly this thing can do… but keep your eyes from it as much as you two can manage…" I spoke seriously. Trillionage laughed.

"_You got a sharp eye there, boy, just like mine…_" It spoke to me. I frowned.

"It's not hard for me to point out one's motives. You taking on the traits of a plant after all, I'm sure Paula's fire attack hit you pretty hard… and it looks like you wouldn't stand up against the bitter cold either." Trillionage's expression turned dark, but then became passive.

"_It doesn't matter however, I won't let you kids take my precious sanctuary away from me…"_ Ness stood forward.

"I understand your pain, Trillionage, but you're in our way. I need to visit this place in order to save the world. Two of your friends are already gone, I'm afraid," Ness spoke using one of his PSI powers. Trillionage shivered.

"_You won't take my sanctuary away from me!!"_ It shouted firing a beam of flashing lights that blinded me temporarily.

"Jeff!" Paula shrieked while I was blind. I felt myself fall onto my back with a thud. When my sight went back to normal, I tried moving my hand to my face, but my arm was frozen stiff. I couldn't turn my head to see around me. _I can't move… I can't move!_ I repeated in my head. My heart started to pound. I felt paralyzed; _helpless…_

"Jeff? _Jeff, say something!"_ Ness asked in panic. Trillionage laughed.

"Your friend can't move now… makes things a deal easier for me!" It snickered as it reached for Ness. Ness gasped.

"_Ness!"_ Paula cried before she shot another wave of flames at the monster. Trillionage in a quick reflex kicked up dirt with its other root, and managed to block the flames. Ness growled in its grasp, and then there was another blinding, flashing light. Trillionage dropped Ness on the ground. Ness gasped, and quickly got to his feet. Paula shot off an icy cold beam, one in which Trillionage screeched at. It was then that Ness ran up in front of me.

"_Say something Jeff, are you alright?!"_ Ness asked me getting to his knees, and grasping my shoulders. My eyes drifted to his, icy, worried, and concerned. I could only grunt for my lips refused to make words. Ness shook my shoulders.

"_Just hang in there-" _

Ness was knocked to the side by Trillionage forcefully before he could finish his sentence. Ness yelped from the mere force as he was tossed to the other side of the room. It was so sudden that it was rattling enough to loosen up my jaw.

"_Ness…?"_ I managed to say in an awkward tone.

"_Ness, are you alright?!"_ Paula asked in shock as she continued to fight Trillionage. Ness struggled to his feet. _He seemed weak._ While I watched their endless duel of doom, I struggled to make any of my limbs, my feet, my fingers, anything to get them moving. However I was caught out of my reverie when some dirt flung into Paula's eyes. Paula yelped, and rubbed at her eyes while Ness was knocked to the ground again. It was then that Trillionage's eyes became fixed on Paula. The entire ordeal was appalling.

"_**Paula, watch out!!**_" I managed to shout. Trillionage paused and looked at me, with that same glint.

"_**I will get rid of the worthless pest that you are at this very moment!"**_ Trillionage hissed as it glared into my eyes.

Oh god…

It was hypnotizing, that was all I could mostly recall when Trillionage seemingly glared into my soul. Paula shrieked out my name. My heart pounded, I had lost total control of my senses, as I felt time freeze itself…

… until I was jolted back to reality as Ness took a daring leap right in front of me, more like, right on top of me, back facing me, as he must have glared into Trillionage's eyes himself. I couldn't forget, the mere terror I felt that day, when Ness started turning into stone…

A clear and shiny stone that is.

"_**NESS!!"**_ Paula screamed. My eyes were wide as Ness fell with a thud next to me. _What the hell had just happened?_ Feeling my body become loose again, I scrambled up to Ness.

"_Ness? __**What happened, why did he turn to stone?!"**_ I panicked while examining his wide- eyes expression. When I could touch his shoulder to see if it was real, I realized by the hardness of the stone that he didn't turn into just any stone. He was a _diamond_…

_"Jeff, watch out!"_ Paula yelled. My eyes went wide when Trillionage whacked me away forcefully behind my back. I grunted painfully as I rolled on the ground uncontrollably. The Trillionage Sprout laughed.

_"How noble of your friend; sacrificing himself just to save your worthless life! There is nothing you can do now… unless if you two can beat me, your friend will never wake up again!"_ Trillionage spat. I stood up grasping my now painful shoulder.

"_Fuck…"_ I managed to mutter glancing Ness one more look before reaching into my bag. Paula was in tears.

"_Why are you doing this?! We're trying to save the world, doesn't that count as anything for you?!"_ Paula asked the Trillionage Sprout. It laughed again.

"_Why am I doing this? Master Giygas promises me great things if I guard this location, that's why!" _It replied lifting its roots. Paula roared in frustration, as it used another freezing attack. I pointed my last bottle rocket towards it.

"_Paula, step aside!"_ I told her, lighting one of my matches. The rocket flew off and hit the giant plant. It groaned in pain as Paula used an ice attack furiously. Trillionage waved its roots around violently as it shrieked in pain. Both of us ducked instantly. Paula used PSI fire. Trillionage shrieked again as it went up in flames for the final time. I rushed to Paula's side, panting as we watched the pitiful root passed on painfully. Trillionage waved its roots around wildly, as it tried speaking to us.

_"Do not think that this is the end! Master Giygas will avenge me!! You will never get away with… this… the… future will… fall into darkness…"_ It uttered its last words before burning into a crisp. _What did this all mean?_ I thought watching the flames. _I wasn't expecting this to become so serious…_

_"__**Ness!"**_ Paula cried as she rushed to Ness.

_"Ness, you can't die, you have to live! We can't save the world without you!"_ Paula sobbed. I felt like I wanted to collapse, but was broken to do so.

_"Wh… he… he's not dead, is he?"_ I asked in a weak voice. Paula hugged the boy with so much passion, sobbing in his now diamond collar. He was all she had before… _Why did he risk his life for me?_ I felt, pathetic; guilty as I gazed down at his frozen wide eyes.

_"Damn it, Ness, why the hell did you have to go and do that?"_ I muttered angrily to myself. Paula laid her head on his chest, silently sobbing. It was moments later that Paula gasped.

"What is it, Paula?" I asked her.

"_His heart… he's alive_," She replied in a whisper.

"Even so Paula, what's the point of being alive, when you can't do a thing?" I asked in barely a whisper. Paula stood up.

"Trillionage said… it said that unless if we could defeat it, Ness would die, right? Well… we _did_ beat it… doesn't that mean that Ness could be recovering as we speak?" Paula asked. My eyes widened at her suggestion, but then she gasped again.

_"Jeff! Help me carry him to the sanctuary location!"_ Paula said running up towards his shoulders.

"Are you sure it's safe if we move him?"

"We won't know until we try," Paula replied. I was skeptical at her suggestion at first, but complied, as I grabbed his feet.

"You sure you can support him? Here, you grab his feet, and I'll carry him by the shoulders. If there's one body part that we don't want to break off, it's the head," I told her. Paula nodded silently, but sadly in reason, as we switched positions.

Carrying a giant diamond was no easy task. Being that both of us were still weak from the fight, we practically dragged him through the small tunnel, until we were able to see the light of day, which was partly cloudy nonetheless. It was a small, hidden, but pretty area, surrounded with the greenest of green, flowers, and a fountain like pond in the middle. Its water glowed as soft white. In the oddity of it all, I actually started to feel my strength recovering, bit by bit.

"Let's lay him by the pond…" Paula told me. I grunted in reply, as we lay his lifeless form in the grass. Paula collapsed on the ground, and panted. It was moments later that the environment around us changed. The breeze circled us all, especially Ness. I could have sworn the pond started to glow brighter and brighter, until I was blinded once again. I covered my eyes with my arm, as so did Paula.

It was then that the pain from my shoulder disappeared. I looked at my now un-cut flesh on my hands in surprise.

_"Jeff, look!"_ She said in awe. When I looked again, the once diamond Ness had been replaced with a Ness that was once more flesh and bone. His eyes were closed, but I could see his chest rise and fall. His clothes were still a visible wreck, but all of his injuries had faded as well. _This place… this sanctuary had healed us all… _Paula got up instantly to rush to him.

"Ness, _Ness_, wake up, Ness!" Paula smiled, as she started to cry again. She knew he would be okay, better than I could ever know. I stepped closer as Paula kneeled down to put her hand on his forehead. I stood still in place as we both heard a small, but real groan escape from Ness's lips.

_"Mom…?"_ He mumbled, before opening his eyes slowly. His eyes drifted everywhere.

"Paula…?" Ness asked. Paula sniffed smiling.

_"Ness, you're alive!"_ Paula squealed as she leaned down to embrace him. Ness's cheeks tinged pink, just slightly, probably from the sweet embrace he had received from one of his friends.

"Where are we, Paula?" Ness asked putting his hand to his forehead. Paula reached into Ness's back pack.

"The sound stone… here, Ness," Paula said handing him a seemingly normal looking rock, though it obviously had some sort of value to it. Just what exactly was it for?

"We're… here already?" Ness asked resting the stone on his forehead.

"Yeah, Jeff and I were able to feed it off while you were knocked out. We really thought you were out for good." Paula replied as her tone faltered. Ness grunted in response.

"Wait a second… is he okay? Where is he?" Ness asked sitting up all the sudden.

"I'm right here, Ness," I told him not feeling sure about my emotions. Ness slowly turned his head up to me.

"Oh… that's good…" He replied glancing at the milky well. I sighed, putting my hand down to him. Ness was caught by surprise when he had spotted it. Ness looked up at me wide eyed.

"Need help getting to your feet?" I asked him. It took him a while, but a small, but real smile formed.

"Okay…" He replied grabbing my hand firmly as I pulled him up to his feet. He didn't stumble, so he obviously felt better. Ness helped Paula up to her feet himself.

"Really guys… thank you…" He said a sincerely as he could. "I guess we should head back to Threed now…" He said slipping his cap back on his head. And with that, we were off without a second thought.

--

We were attacked by a group of mushrooms along the way, which was odd, because most of the enemies avoided us by either fear, or by respect. What I wasn't aware of during the fight was that they were poisonous. After feeling as if they ganged up on me, I felt weaker than after fighting that disgusting giant root. Ness and Paula jumped in front of me, and guarded me while they finished them off. My head was starting to spin.

"Jeff, are you alright?" Ness asked. I grabbed my head and groaned. Everything around me spun so fast… I felt as if I would pass out at any moment. I fell to the ground.

"I think he's poisoned!" I heard Paula say. Ness 'hmmed.'

"Don't worry...I think I can fix this now," Ness spoke as I felt someone's hands touch my shoulders. It was the oddest feeling. What was once spinning started to slow down, and my head stopped swaying eventually. Soon enough, I could clearly see Ness in front of me, eyes closed, and still holding my arm. When he opened his eyes, we both looked at each other.

"Are you alright?" Ness asked me carefully. I nodded blankly.

"I...I don't understand, what happened, how did you… do that?" Ness smirked as stood up. Giving me a hand, he helped me to my feet, just like I did for him.

"Guess I just learned how to use healing beta," It took a while, but I eventually grinned.

"You did it! You learned it!" I cheered. Ness chuckled.

"Yeah… That should be enough to get back to Saturn Valley." It was the last thing he told me, at least until we reached Saturn Valley.

--

When we returned however, Ness was swindled to drink a cup of strange coffee that one of the Mr. Saturn's offered. His head dangled back and forth, as if he was drunk. He started to laugh at nothing. When he seemed to topple into me, I blushed slightly.

"_The voice in my head says that you're timid Jeff..." _Ness chuckled like a drunk. _So are you in your own _way I thought. Paula giggled.

"He'll be fine in just a moment, I'm sure," Paula assured me. I sighed in annoyance, pushing Ness at arm's length away from me. I was bewildered when both of us had to literally drag him down to the valley. _Again_

Ness soon felt better once we got back in the valley floor. All of the Mr. Saturn's gathered around us. The bowless Mr. Saturn jumped into Paula's arms.

"Mr. Ziggy, I almost forgot, I have a gift for you!" Paula smiled putting Mr. Ziggy down on the ground, before she rummaged through her bag for her old dark green ribbon. She knelt down, and tied the ribbon in a bow, right on Mr. Ziggy's antenna. It was then that all of the Mr. Saturn's cheered. Mr. Ziggy sneezed.

"We'll see you later, Mr. Ziggy, everyone!" She smiled waving goodbye to them all. However, Mr. Ziggy kept following us.

"Mr. Ziggy, what is it?" Paula asked. Mr. Ziggy looked at all of us with sad little bead like eyes. Paula sighed.

"Aww… we can't just leave him here… Ness, can we take him along?" Paula asked. Ness gave her a skeptical look.

"_Hell_ no, we can't bring him along! What will other people think when they see a bodiless head walking around?" Ness replied crossing his arms. Paula frowned, but then brought back up the begging routine again.

"_Please?_ I promise he'll be good! He can stay in my bag along the way, I'm sure I can make it cozy in there for him," Paula said, clasping her hands together and bringing them above her head.

"_Pretty, pretty please?"_ Paula begged. Ness rubbed the back of his neck with annoyance, but then sighed in defeat.

"_Fine,_ Jeff, is it ok if Paula takes Mr. Ziggy along?" Ness asked. I nodded.

"It's fine with me." I replied. Paula squealed cuddling Mr. Ziggy in her arms.

"But _you're_ the one responsible for him, alright? That a deal?" Paula nodded, holding her new companion in her arms. Ness sighed.

"Then it's settled. You ready, Jeff?" Ness asked. I straightened my glasses.

"Yeah... but where are we heading now?" I asked him. Ness smiled.

"Remember Master Beltch saying something about a Mani Mani statue in Fourside? We're gonna try to get back to Threed again to make the next bus, which I believe will arrive at five thirty if I remember correctly." I checked my watch.

"It's already four thirty. Are we going to make it in an hour?" I asked.

"Of course we will if we hurry!" He smirked getting a head start. Paula quickly followed behind. I sighed, and followed. We all quickly waved back to the crowd of Mr. Saturn's farewell. One of them told us that they would do something for us in the future eventually. I wondered when that would be?

--

Making our way back through the well wasn't as bad anymore. The horrible stench was gone, which meant the abnormal glowing was gone. All three of us held hands as we blindly ventured our way out of the well. When we made it back to Threed, we were all surprised to be greeted by people that cheered for us.

"Thank you kids for saving the town!" A lady told us. How did they know?

"It was nothing, really," Ness said bashfully as he shook someone's hand. All of them clapped.

"Good luck, you three, we'll remember you!" Another one told us. We had to practically push our way through the crowd. What a mess…

--

"I wonder what will happen to us now," I mentioned as we waited patiently for the bus. We beat it by a good fifteen minutes or so. Paula was happily nuzzling Mr. Ziggy.

"Hopefully no more stinky blobs, that's for sure" Ness snorted rolling his eyes. I 'hmmed' in response. We were all silent for a while. But then eventually, we all heard a girl from afar, calling Ness's name.

"Ness, _Ness, wait!!"_ A girl in a delivery uniform shouted from afar. I glanced over to Ness, who looked extremely bewildered.

"_Tracy?!_" Ness gasped. _"Tracy, what the hell are you doing in Threed?!_" Ness asked, pacing up to Tracy himself. Paula and I cast glances and shrugged. When I saw the girl up close, she looked no older than Ness, and wore her blond hair in a pony tail. She had a saddle bag that was labeled 'Escargo Express'.

"Doing my _job_, unlike my older brother, who's just going out for some _sightseeing_," The girl named Tracy replied. "Besides, I promised my friend, Kaitlin from Twoson that I would take her here to meet up with her boyfriend. However, I don't think it's working out very well, _that dirty little sneak…_" She said. _So she was Ness's younger sister…_ I thought.

"Right… So how's the Escargo Express job going for you? How's Mom?" Ness asked. Tracy sighed.

"S' been alright. Mom's doing better than ever since Dad came back for the weekend. They had a romantic dinner together in return for his rudeness a couple of nights ago," Tracy smiled. Ness's expression lit up.

"That's great!" Ness said. How's King?"

"He's just his old self, I don't want to be mean, but I don't think he's even aware that you're gone," Tracy shrugged before spotting Paula behind Ness. Paula shyly waved to her. Tracy gasped.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were traveling with Paula Polestar, where you?" She giggled walking up to Paula, who shyly smiled.

"Hello, Tracy. I've always wanted to meet Ness's family," Paula said. Tracy cheeks lit up.

"Really? It's such an honor to meet you too, you're so pretty Paula! Urk, I mean… sorry, didn't mean to sound so-" Ness dropped his head in annoyance. I guessed that his sister embarrassed him a lot.

"It's fine. You're a sweet person, that's the first compliment I've gotten from someone on this trip, thank you," Paula smiled innocently.

"_No she's not…_" Ness mumbled, even though Tracy could hear him crystal clear.

"_What was that?!"_ She spoke semi harshly.

"What?" Ness taunted until Tracy grabbed Ness's ear between her index finger and her thumb.

"_**Hey, stop that!!**__"_ Ness complained, ripping Tracy's grip off his ear.

"A year younger than you, and you're _still_ Mommy's _little strong boy_," She snickered. Ness's entire face flushed.

"_No I'm not!"_ Ness started to whine. Paula and I giggled from their little quarrel, until Tracy's eyes spotted mine. I stood silently as she became distracted because of me.

"Is this the Jeff you were telling Mom about?" Tracy asked. Ness's cheeks were still tinged pink.

"Yes it is. Jeff, this is Tracy, my _bratty sister…_" Unlike before, Tracy ignored his little insult, and scanned me up and down with her eyes as a small smirk appeared on her lips. _Was she checking me out?! _ I thought to myself.

"So… you helped Paula and the squirt out, eh? Thanks for saving them. I hope my brother hasn't caused you any troubles yet," She smiled giddily handing out a hand. It took a small moment, but I returned the gesture and shook her hand.

"It wasn't much of a problem, I was glad to help," I smiled to her. Was she blushing? And for some reason, it took her a while to let go of my hand. I had to admit, she was rather cute when she realized it.

"Oh sorry!" She squeaked letting go of my hand. I chuckled, feeling both of Ness's and Paula's eyes on us.

"It's alright, don't worry about it," I replied flushing myself.

"Tracy, you're making Jeff uncomfortable," Ness said trying to break apart our little interaction.

"_I was not!_ -As I can tell, you're a lot more mature than my pipsqueak brother-"

"_Tracy, stop!"_ Ness whined blushing brilliantly. She really was embarrassing him.

"What? I'm pretty sure he already knew!" She snickered until we heard an older man yell out Tracy's name. Tracy turned around, and apparently spotted someone from her work.

"Jeremy, there you are! I was looking for you!" She said walking towards him, until she halted almost instantly to spin around.

"Well, it was nice running into my brother's companions… _and my brother I suppose_. But I gotta get going, duty calls, after all." She winked at me. "See yah guys later!" She smiled before walking away. Ness balled up his fists, as we saw the bus approaching from the distance.

"Sorry for the interruption, you guys. She can be pretty obnoxious sometimes," He said chuckling. Paula shook her head.

"Your sister's really nice!" Paula smiled. Ness skeptically looked at her.

"No she's not…" Ness spat. I shrugged.

"You should be thankful Ness. Even if she does pick on you, I'm sure she cares for you, more than you think," I replied. Ness said nothing.

"That's right. Like they say, the more two fight and argue, the more the care for each other," Paula said. Ness sighed in annoyance.

"Yeah yeah, right." The bus stopped for us, and opened its doors.

"Where to, kids?" The bus driver asked.

"To Fourside, please," Ness said handing him three dollars.

"Alright you three, hop in," The bus driver said, as all three of us took our seats in the middle of the bus. I ended up sitting by the window, while Paula sat in between Ness and I. During the ride, none of us said a word to each other. Paula eventually fell sound asleep while I daydreamed, watching the scenery change from green to hilly desert shrubs. There was a lot on my mind; most of the things I thought of had no specific answer, at least not yet. I felt lost. I had gotten so used to science always providing some sort of answer, but this journey had been more complex than that, most of the things we had ran into so far had been unexplainable, at least to my knowledge. _What was the reason for all this again?_

_"What, was that not a good enough reason? Do you dare say more? It doesn't matter now, ten years __**has**__ passed, and there's nothing you or I could do to fix the past."_ My so called father repeated in my mind. _How did this conversation pop into my head again?_

"Jeff?" My eyes snapped back to reality on the bus as I glanced over to Ness, whose eyes were averted.

"Hmm?" I responded. Ness sighed, but he said nothing after that. Neither of us said anything until I broke the ice moments later.

"Why'd you do it?" I asked. Ness looked up to me, raising an eyebrow at first, but then I think it clicked.

"Oh… that, right. I dunno…" I sighed.

"You don't know? You just decided to jump in front of me at the precise moment for no reason at all?" I asked almost feeling disappointed from his answer. Ness shook his head.

"No no, it's not like that, it's just…" _What the hell was he trying to say?_ I sighed.

"Look… about before… I shouldn't have said what I said. It was stupid of me; I make stupid decisions all the time, alright? So… don't take it personal, K?" I told him stubbornly slouching in my seat. Ness was quiet at first, but then he nodded silently. I didn't think he would ever completely forgive me.

"I'm… sorry too. Sorry for punching you across the face," He replied. I sighed, drifting my eyes outside the window again. There was a moment of silence.

"Really Ness, why'd you do it?" I asked again. Ness was silent at first.

"I guess… I was afraid, that's all. I've been afraid of this journey for a while now… I've been afraid of everything, everyone, even Paula at time to time." I grunted in response. But then he continued.

"But… when I first met you, I started to shut everything away… I hadn't been that scared in a long time. I wasn't sure whether to trust you or not… but I figured; either way, you were here, and you were here to help us," He explained. I turned my head to him giving him a blank look with a touch of alertness. Ness refused to look at me.

"So, when I saw that the Trillionage Sprout was going to hurt you, I thought of all the alternatives. I thought either you would get hurt pretty badly, or you would get hurt enough that you wouldn't want to stick around with us. I didn't want to take any of those chances… so that's why I did it. I know… it sounds selfish, I'm-"

"You were worried that I wouldn't want to help you guys out anymore if I got hurt enough?" I asked. Ness nodded slowly. I frowned, but then smiled slightly.

"We can only try our best in a world out there that isn't perfect. When I decided to go find you guys, I expected the journey to be long and miserable. Though bits and pieces of it were, there are more things I need to learn out in the world, about life, and possibly about myself. So if you're worried about me leaving you guys yet, you better change that thinking habit of yours around, shouldn't you?" I explained as best as I could. Ness smiled slightly.

"Yeah…," Ness replied.

"I just wanna know how you guys use powers. Do you two take any kind of pill or something?" I asked. Ness gave me a skeptical look.

"We're not on any special kind of prescription! I already told you, it's just how we are, that's all," Ness said. I snorted.

"Well, see? There yah go, there's one thing I want to learn about, how you two use special powers. Do you two even realize how many people would want to harness that kind of power?" I asked. Ness started to look uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. I sighed.

"Alright, we'll stop talking about your PSI abilities. What do you think Fourside will hold for us, besides this _Mani Mani_ statue you were talking about before?" Ness shrugged.

"I dunno… I'm not even sure what the Mani Mani statue even is. But as long as it's an object under Giygas's name, we can't let it float around; we need to destroy it before it does any damage," Ness said. I grunted.

"So… do you really think Giygas is an alien?" I asked.

"Possibly. I don't know what else it could be…" Ness said yawning. There was another moment of silence. I looked out the window again.

"I apologize for all of these questions, they've just been bobbling around in my head lately, I can't shed them away," I explained.

"It's fine. It's better to ask things rather than letting them run untamed in your mind too long. It leads to very bizarre things, believe me," Ness explained. I noticed by his tone of voice that he sounded exhausted.

"Ness?"

"Yeah?"

"…. Get some sleep, you're tired. And so am I," I said leaning my head against the window.

"Alright… Jeff?"

"Hmm?"

"...Thanks...for helping us," He finally said before drifting off himself. I smiled to myself. I would ask him about the sanctuary locations later.

"You're welcome."


	8. The Malicious glint in his eyes

_**A/N:**_ Thanks Orkidee, KuroTenshiYuki, sightswiftlifter, babyangel22, and the Leander for reviewing and enjoying this fic! X3 Seriously, I was not expecting this fic to be doing as good as it is, you people are making me blush! X/3

To Orkidee: Its cool, I'm been busier myself sadly, I'm happy that you still are enjoying this! :D

To KuroTenshiYuku: Hi, YukuTiszuki! You received my reply on DA x3

To sightswiftlifter: Your comment made part of my day, seriously! x3 You're so sweet; it's always nice to know other people are enjoying this as well. And yes, Dark Ness is awesome! :D

To babyangel22: Thank you for another sweet review. I made you laugh? Yay! :D

To the Leander: Yet again, thanks for the awesome review, and everything you said about the chapter (same with everyone else). I'm glad you guys enjoyed the ssbb dream, I thought people would. ;3 Oh and yes, the Leander, if you are interested to beta read sometime, it's more than welcome. Just email me at:

Or you could just review again, and show me your email, it's up to you. :3 Right now though, I kinda wanna see how I do for maybe the next chapter or two. But this way, I'll definitely let you know if I need a beta reader or not. It was so nice of you to offer, thank you so much! x/3 I wasn't sure how else to contact you beside posting my reply in the chapter itself.

Another quick note though if anyone really cares; the hostel in this chapter is based off of a real place I stayed at in San Francisco a couple of times. Oh, and beware: _I've added an original character in this chapter so far._ I think he _will_ be based off of a real character though, I added a description hint. For right now, his name is Demetri. And he's a creepy jerk. And there also _is_ a legitimate character that will be introduced in here. Can you guess who he is? :o Oh, and of course The Runaway Five appear in here as well.

My story is starting to develop its little plot now I guess, so yes there's a decent sized section in this chapter that doesn't happen _at all_ in the game, just to let you guys know.

And holly crap, my chapters are getting longer! Chapter lengths like these are normal to me though… oh well.

Sorry for another long authors note. Other than that, hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxX

_School Assemblies. _

_Why the hell did these exist in the first place? It took time away from school, yet we were required to attend every single one of them, especially when we were still in the elementary level. There wasn't as many as we got older, and they became optional over time, but still, the craziness, and all the loudness; I couldn't handle one minute of them. There was only one to this day however, that sticks its face out more than any other._

_The one I remember the most was hosted by a magician, the tricksters, and illusionists of mankind. They were an endangered race, it was a pity, and their illusions could put good use into the world, if they knew what to do with it. Everyone was amazed at what they could do. They even demonstrated, and taught us some easy ones too that everyone had attempted. Everyone did except me of course._

_Nathan especially was into the art. This was a time when I didn't believe that he was overly obsessed with my best friend Tony. It was lunch time, and I had been working hard on an extra credit project for Maxwell's class. I was repairing his electric pencil sharpener; he believed I of all the kids could pull it off._

_"Are you sure it'll work now?" Tony asked me munching on his PB and J sandwich. _

_"Yeah yeah, I'm positive, let me borrow your pencil real fast," I said taking Tonys only pencil for the day. I was so sure that it would work, that I flinched when I inserted his pencil. It rumbled violently, as it practically ate it, and snapped it in half. Part of his pencil flung to the other side of the cafeteria. Tony gasped._

_"Jeff, how am I going to take my test today without my pencil?!" He started to panic. I tried calming him down._

_"I'm sure your teacher will lend you another pencil, don't worry! Let me see if I have a spare," I told him. It was then that the rotten fruit walked up to us, Tonys garbled pencil piece in hand._

_"I heard you needed to take an important test next class," He told Tony. Tony frowned._

_"Well yeah, but I need a pencil that will write in order to take it-" It was then that Nathan did some weird gesture with his hands, and in an instant, his broken pencil disappeared, and was replaced with a brand new one, perfectly sharpened, and ready to be used. Tonys eyes lit up._

_"Oh wow, wow, that's so cool!" He cheered. I was so infuriated that moment; he forgot that I was even there. Nathan showed off more of his dim little tricks, including some with coins. Tony was so absorbed into his trickery; his so called 'magic.' I left the table._

_I felt like a failure that day. _

XxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 8 The Malicious glint in his eyes_

XxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxXxxxxxxxxX

I felt as if we weren't moving anymore when I opened my eyes again. It looked like sunrise to me judging by the soft creeping light that shown through the bus window. I looked over to Ness and Paula; Ness's head was rested on top of Paula's. I had to admit, it was a sweet looking picture that I smiled at; both of them hadn't woken up yet. Judging from the view, we were in the middle of the desert, the middle of nowhere. Trying not to wake anyone up, I opened the side window to take a peek ahead. The traffic seemed endless beyond the bus.

I looked over to Paula and Ness again as more thoughts bounced around. I eyed the Mr. Saturn; Mr. Ziggy that was present in her lap. He had a good knack of keeping completely still. If I didn't know better, I would have mistaken him for a stuffed toy.

Paula wasn't any ordinary girl after all it turned out. Sure she had a smart mouth time to time, but she seemed to have a strong will, something that was foreign to Ness, apparently, and possibly me as well. I don't want to think this, but I started to believe that Paula was the one to take more care of Ness instead of the other way around, though it was obvious that Ness had taken well care of her as well. Her hair was dirty now, but what could I say? None of us were better off…

Ness on the other had turned out to be a different person that I had expected him to be. When he confessed to me that he was afraid, I wasn't sure exactly in what way. He was afraid of me, yet he wanted me to stay with them no matter what. I wondered why? I mean, it was normal for him not to fully trust me yet, that was completely understandable, but if Paula _knew_, before they met me, that I; an ordinary guy with just a high GPA, was going to come eventually to help them on such an odd, dangerous mission, then why was he _afraid_ of me?

I was positive it had to be a personal manner. But even so, if he was so _afraid_ of me, then why was he slowly flipping to the next page about himself? If he really was so _afraid_, then he wouldn't reveal anything about himself. Even Paula had a harder cover than him, why was he so open about his feelings so much? It started to weird me out in a way I couldn't explain…

Even so… he looked so peaceful when he slept otherwise…

"May I have your attention all bus riders" The bus driver said over the intercom loud enough to wake both Ness and Paula up.

"It looks like traffic isn't going to move in quite a while. In the meantime, a person that walked by foot would already make it to Fourside before the traffic would start moving again. Whoever needs or wants to get to Fourside without question may depart the bus. Otherwise, I'm going to drive back to Threed. So I'll repeat: if anyone wants to get to Fourside that badly, they may get off the bus and walk there. Otherwise I'll be taking you back to Threed, and you'll have to try the bus a different day." Ness groaned in both tiredness and response.

"Are you _serious?_" Ness muttered. "Ok, group decision. (yawn) Walk or wait?" Neither of us really replied as Paula rubbed her eyes.

"We might as well make it by foot. Let's get off here I guess" I replied. Ness sighed.

"Alright, let's get off the bus."

We were the only ones to get off ironically. Before he left, the bus driver told us "Don't regret your decision once you get out there. Remember this is a desert." We all nodded, understanding his warning, but not fully understanding the consequences that would go along with it. We watched as the bus immediately took off leaving us in the middle of nowhere on the tail of the traffic jam. The sun was just beginning to rise. There wasn't even a breeze. The desert looked almost endless, depending what direction you looked at. Judging the road, it looked like it would at least be a three hour walk. Ness had spotted a nearby gas station.

"Here, let's go to this shop first." Ness said as we tagged along.

--

"I'll take the coin of slumber, please" Ness asked handing over a load of hard cash. Paula eyed the lemonade in the cooler.

"Can I have some lemonade?" Paula asked nicely. Ness nodded.

"And one lemonade, please; Jeff, did you want me to buy you something?" Ness asked me handing the cold lemonade to Paula. It reminded me of the last day when I was forced into getting something by Paula. Otherwise, I really didn't like the idea of someone else buying something for me. It made me feel so juvenile.

"No, but thanks Ness," I replied nicely. Ness shrugged.

"Like the bus driver said, don't regret your decision." He said. I nodded raising my eyebrow.

"I'm positive about my decision, thank you very much." I told him.

"Alright then, let's get going then, I guess." He said with slight disappointment.

--

Early morning felt like a regular summer afternoon. Mid morning was hot enough to fry eggs. I shuddered at the thought of mid _day_. The distance was a mirage; wavy and misleading. The sun practically smothered us. I felt as if I was going to collapse. Paula was just ok, still enjoying the last of her not so cold lemonade. I knew wearing a jacket in the desert was a stupid idea. _I was starting to regret my decision. _

"Wait...what's that?" Ness said pointing in the distance. "It looks...oh no..._shit,_" Ness swore as if he understood what he saw. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I looked myself. I could see something hovering swiftly over the desert sand in the distance. It looked like a fast fly at first… but then there was something unpleasing about its structure.

"Couldn't that just be a mirage?" I asked. But no… the _UFO_ grew as it drew closer to us. I underestimated as it approached us in a matter of seconds, and fired a beam towards Ness. All of us dodged out of the way, Ness getting partially hit. Ness almost instantly cast his PSI power against the surprising, and strange UFO, Paula doing so in her own fashion. I just fired my crappy little laser gun... The UFO charged at me this time, hot metal burning my arm. I winced, keeping my yelp in as much as I could manage. I held that part firmly as Ness and Paula destroyed it in no time at all. Jeez I felt so useless... I was boiling, and in pain. I groaned as I fell on my knees.

"Jeff!" Paula exclaimed as they rushed to me.

"You alright, Jeff? You look really flushed," Ness said. I nodded, lying to him, and myself.

"Just... let me catch my breath" I uttered. I didn't look up at him, but I had an itching feeling that he wasn't going to buy the act. Instead, he knelt down to my level, startling me in the process as he put his hands on my shoulders. It seemed in moments that I felt at least twelve degrees cooler than I was. It wasn't much, but it definitely helped. My eyes widened as I looked at him. His face was somewhat incredulous, smiling crookedly at me.

"Do you feel any better?" He asked me. I nodded blankly at him again. _How the hell does he do that?_ I didn't realize again, that I had been staring at him as long as I was. Ness seemed to shy from the awkward gesture.

"Are you sure you're alright? Let me try again," He said moving his hands to reach for my shoulders. In a quick reaction, I waved my own in front of my face, just to emphasize my point.

"_No no really, I'm fine!"_ I told him feeling flustered. Paula gave me an odd look. Ness sighed, and stood up, dragging me along with him.

"Then why didn't you say so? Anyways, it should last you at least until we make it to that small cabin in the distance, see?" Ness said pointing to the small waving brown cabin.

"Are you sure it's not a mirage?" I asked.

"Do you want me to use _healing alpha_ on you _again_ to prove that it's not?" Ness replied smartly. I snorted at his suggestion.

"Alright alright, so you were right back there," I said. Ness's eyebrow perked up as a cocky grin spread across his face.

"_Told_ yah!" He said sticking out his tongue, before he was off again. Paula giggled at my stubborn posture, as I straightened my glasses for the millionth time.

"_Hey_..." I complained until Ness stopped us both.

"_Do I see dead bodies?!_" Ness's tone was cold as ice, even in the intense heat. We made our way there to indeed, find a couple of bodies lying in the desert sand. _In bathing suits._

"Hey! Don't mistake us for corpses! This is just the best place to sun bathe ..._hey!_ Stop looking at our tan lines!" The man told us. All three of us looked at each other before heading off again. _What weirdoes…_

Along the way we ran into more enemies such as weird creatures that resembled scorpions, buffalo, coyotes and weird… dinosaur looking things. As we neared the cabin, Mr. Ziggy jumped out of Paula's bag, and scurried to a certain spot.

"Mr. Ziggy, what are you doing, your bald head can't take this monstrous heat!" They way she said that made me chuckle.

"Wait... I hear a small voice!" Paula spoke again. When Ness and I approached Paula, so could we. It was like a mouse, feminine, and shrill.

"I'm the white sesame seed! If you see my boyfriend the black sesame, please tell him that I still love him! We got in a fight you see, and I haven't seen him since!"

"Paula, step away from it, you'll get possessed!" Ness said with both caution and humor.

"No no, it's true! I really do love him! I'm just saying _if_ you find him please tell him I still love him!" She said. Ness snickered as Mr. Ziggy sneezed all over the small sesame.

"Sure, we'll tell him! And if we see you afterwards, we'll tell you his reaction!" Paula smiled picking Mr. Ziggy up.

"Oh thank you, thank you!" She thanked us as we were off again. It didn't take too long until we made it to the cabin.

--

"Fourside isn't too far from here now; I think you'll make it in an hour by foot." The man in the cabin told us. We cooled off a little in the cabin before deciding to head off again. Outside, we noticed along the road, near the cabin was a small construction site. A man was next to his machine drinking a soda. He must have been on his break.

"Yeah, just keep following the road; you'll make your way to Fourside. Oh me? I'm a miner. I mine for gold. Keep it a secret, but if you return, I'll give you a piece of gold if I find any; my treat," He told us. We all laughed off at his nice offer. _There was no way he would give us any gold._

I had forgotten that dark concrete seemed to absorb the heat. We all practically flipped once we saw the traffic tunnel.

"_**Finally!**_" Ness said, picking his pace up to a sprint.

"Wait, why are you running?" I said grabbing Paula's hand, and picking up speed.

"_The faster we get out of this sun, the __**better**__!_"

--

When we were through the amazingly cool tunnel we could finally see the magnificent city of Fourside; brilliantly shining in the sunlight across the long set of bridges. The water below made the place felt cooler period, though the temperature would probably rise again once we were through its gates. We had arrived at around 4:30 pm according to my watch.

I couldn't see the tops of most of the sky scrapers when we were in its limits. People were on busy schedules, walking up and down the streets shoved passed us with no second thought. One person seemed to rush by, bumping into Paula in the process.

"_Hey!" _ Paula protested. But the man didn't pay any mind.

"Hey, you got a problem buddy?" Ness yelled at the man while holding Paula's hand. However the man was already lost into the crowd. Ness frowned angrily, dragging Paula along, and keeping her close to him. We found a sign along the way, mapping the layout of the entire city.

"So if the Mani Mani statue lies somewhere in this city, then maybe we should start with the mayor's residence…" Ness thought out loud. As we waited for the signal in the crosswalk, I couldn't help but feel claustrophobic with all the people squeezed around us. It didn't even seem to faze Ness and Paula; who instead were just gawking at the scenery itself. Crossing the street, we ended up walking into a small souvenir store.

"Hey," Ness said as he rang the bell for service in the store. Just what was he up to?

"Welcome to Fourside souvenir store, how may I help you?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you could direct me to the mayor's residence."

"You mean the Monotoli building? Mayor Monotoli, right? Yes, keep going up a couple of blocks, and it should be up ahead in the next light." She replied.

"That close? Alright... thanks" Grabbing a brochure on our way out of the shop, one of us almost got trampled by a group of people dressed up as if they were heading to a concert. Navigating in the direction she provided, the building entitled 'Monotoli' stood at the corner of a four-way crosswalk. When we crossed, instead of entering, Ness looked up at the building.

"What is it?" Paula asked. I wasn't sure, but I could have sworn that Ness flinched. He balled up his fists.

"Something isn't right..." Ness said nervously. Paula flashed me a concerned look. Something terrible was troubling him, but what was it?

"Is it in here, Ness?" Paula asked him. Ness was quiet at first. I tried looking up at what he was gazing at. I wasn't sure, but high up in one of the windows, there was what seemed like a person; looking down out the window. I know it was bad judgment from so far away, but he looked rather chunky. I was caught out of my reverie when someone bumped into me on purpose.

"Hey, why don't you watch were your standing, four eyes?" A white trash looking dude spoke smugly at me turning the corner. I gritted my teeth, and snarled.

"_Four eyes?!"_ I snapped. However, the bastard was already gone. Ness sigh was staggered.

"Don't worry Jeff; you probably won't see him again," He said in a monotone voice. He was right. These things happened all the time. Ness marched inside the building, muttering something illegible. I took one last glance up to the window, but the chunky man was gone.

--

"I'm so sorry baby face, but we haven't seen Mr. Monotoli in quite some time. Right now, his right handed mate, Mr. Minch is substituting for him at the moment. If you really want to talk to him, just take the elevator to the 47th floor, and he'll be through the main door to the left and the first door to your right once you enter the hall." I could see Ness's entire being shutter in mere horror, eyes wide and lips apart. I didn't understand, what was going on? He wasn't telling me or Paula anything…

"Are you okay? Did you want to see him-" All three were caught by surprise as Ness practically sprinted to the elevator. I grabbed Paula's hand.

"Thank you," I told the lady at the counter before we barely caught up to Ness.

"_Would you kids stop staring at my hips?"_ The lady running the elevator muttered. None of us responded. Ness crossed his arms, and leaned against the elevator wall.

"… _Ness?"_ I asked quietly. Ness was unresponsive, keeping his eyes pointed into the distance. I looked down to Paula, who now had this huge worried frown on her face. She must have caught on before me. I was still clueless, _was the Mani Mani statue here?_

Once we made it to the right floor, two guard men seemed to eye us. Walking through the door, Ness broke out into a sprint, and dashed into the room, leaving me and Paula to catch up behind him. When I entered the sophisticated room with Paula quietly, I couldn't shed the feeling of an eerie dominance looming in the air. It was an odd feeling indeed, and the fact that Ness seemed more enraged than ever didn't help in the slightest way. His breath was harsh, gritting his teeth angrily at the chubby young man that looked only a couple of years older than me and Ness. He sat in a luxurious red chair, surrounded by two body guards. His blond hair covered part of his haughty; yet empty looking eyes. If he wasn't wearing the vertically stripped red and black business man suit, I could have mistaken him as a pig. His eerie and cocky smirk decorated his face. It almost looked unnatural to say the least. It surprised me how soft his voice really was.

"_Ooo la la…_ _what do we have here_?" He spoke smugly scanning Ness up and down with his light blue irises. The way he did so sent shivers up my spine. I think Paula held my hand tighter during the tense moment. Ness's voice was filled with so much venom, that he sounded more pissed than he was with me back in Saturn Valley.

"_**Pokey Minch!**_" Ness snarled. Paula hid herself behind me, not letting go of my hand. One of Pokey's guards whispered something in his ear.

"This? Oh no, _I know him.._. Let me just remember. Aaahhh...what was your name? _Pig's Ass?_ _Nah…_ that was just a better name I gave you a little while ago…" I glanced at Ness's stone hard eyes glaring back at the cocky young man known as Pokey, who snickered.

"Anyhow, who would have thought that you would come visit me in times when I've hit the top? You're not here to beg for some money, are you?_"_ Yet again, Ness was silent. Pokey sighed contently.

"What would you like on this _fine_ day? Would you like my autograph? Or did you come to negotiate about before, and the future?" Pokey rested his chin on his fist, and leaned his elbow on his right knee.

"_You kidnap Paula, and now this?_ _What_ _the fuck are you up to, Pokey, why don't you tell me that?_ And _where's Monotoli?_" I gave Pokey an appalling look when he revealed the fact about Paula's kidnapping. But Pokey could only laugh.

"You're always so angry now, _Ness_. Didn't we used to be _best friends?"_ Pokey asked.

"_Yes, but we both know well enough what ruined it_," Ness growled. Pokey sighed.

"Well you see... I'm now Geldegarde Monotoli's partner now, _yes, you heard me_. And as you can see I give him political and economical advice."

_"You don't know __**anything**__ about politics Pokey, don't bull shit me! Now where is he?"_ Ness roared. The guard men braced themselves, but Pokey stopped them.

"Hmm... you know, now that I think of it, I heard there were a few ratty-looking kids asking for Mr. Monotoli downstairs, and even the souvenir store down the street. Was that _you_ Ness?" Ness was silent once more.

"Huh, I thought so. You don't say much anymore do you? Oh well… so, how's that beautiful little angel Paula?" He said finally drifting his eyes over to Paula and I. I did my best, keeping her out of sight as she tightened her grip around my waist. I could feel her burying her face in my back. Ness snarled.

"_**You get your disgusting eyes off of them, you hear me?**__ They don't need to get involved in this as much as I have, so don't invite them in!"_ I wasn't sure what my face looked like when Pokey finally rested his eyes on mine. I couldn't read his expression; it was this foreign look that seemed like an iron wall. I thought, for a split second, that his peaceful smile twisted into something inhumane. He seemed so calm… it was as if he enjoyed making other lives miserable, just for the fun of it. It was this kind of person I wished I would never have to come across. Apparently, that wish could never come true. Pokey shrugged, and faced Ness once more.

"Alright, but I'm afraid if you're going to act like such an ill-mannered child, I'll have to kick you out," He frowned, hand gesturing his body guards to throw us all out. Ness eyes still didn't fray from him however, though once his guards took us out, it was already too late.

"_It's too bad… you used to be the loveliest apple of Onett_… but I guess all fruit have to fall off the tree someday. _Maybe I should've picked out a peach back then instead…"_ That was the last thing I heard him barely say before we were outside his door. The quote locked into my memory for quite some time afterwards. Ness was stone cold, and he seemed to remain that way, even when the grown guard spoke to him.

"You must never show your face around Master Pokey, you got that?" One of the guards ordered Ness before walking back into the hall. Ness growled and flipped him off, then stormed towards the elevator, muttering something angrily under his breath as we stepped inside.

"Bottom floor? Alright...stop looking at my hips!" The elevator lady said. Ness growled.

"_**No one**__ is staring at your hips,_" Ness told her off. The lady's jaw dropped, and remained that way as we exited the elevator. Instead of Ness heading towards the door, he went to sit down in the waiting center, burying his forehead in his hands as he did so. I sat in the chair across from him. Paula just stood, her head was low.

"_Jeff_... that guy... _he_ was my neighbor," I gapped at him.

"That Pokey guy? And he kidnapped Paula before? You-" Ness put a hand up to pause my speech.

"And before you go into anything, he kidnapped her _before_ me and Paula started traveling with each other." I decided to hold my comment back. Looking at Paula I furrowed my eyebrows. Ness, who was still hiding his enraged face, let off a staggered sigh. Paula pointed to something in the meantime.

"Wait… Ness, isn't that poster advertising The Runaway Five?" Paula asked. This got both of our attention. Paula got off my lap, and checked a nearby poster on the wall. When Ness and I went to examine it ourselves, it was an advertisement for their show.

"Come and see The Runaway Five perform live at the Topolla Theater all this week starting at seven o clock pm," Paula read out loud. "So The Runaway Five are here now? We need to see their show! Maybe they know a little bit about what's going on," Paula spoke with more confidence now. Just who were The Runaway Five anyways? Ness nodded slowly, eyes looking lost in the process. Paula turned to me.

"We helped them go on tour back at Twoson, and they gave us a ride to Threed. So they know us pretty well, and they even said that they owed us for everything we did for them," Paula explained to me. I nodded in response.

"I see, so these guys are your friends? That's nice to hear," I replied checking my watch. "Its six o clock right now," I said. Paula 'hmmed.' Ness sighed, flashing Paula a calm smile.

"If we hurry, I'm sure we can watch their show, and ask them about it. Let's go," Ness said, holding Paula's hand. This dilemma was going to boggle his mind for the rest of the day.

--

After we purchased our tickets, we reserved our seats in the rather large theater. Ness nudged me to follow them as we walked to the back door where a man was guarding the door.

"Hey, my name is Ness, and this is-"

"Oh, so you're Ness? The Runaway Five told me to only let Ness and his friends back stage. Hurry, and let no one see you!" He said quietly opening the door for us. That was quick I thouoght. Apparently they have been expecting us all this time. Backstage was smaller than I would have thought, at least the room where the band hung out in. All I could say was that their room was small and clustered; music papers were scattered on the floor everywhere. The five men themselves wore spiffy top hats, and semi formal suits. Needless to say, all of their eyes slightly widened when they saw us intrude into their space.

"Hey guys, its Ness and Paula!" One of The Runaway Five said. All of them stopped what they were doing to come over to talk to us. The Runaway Five was a laid back group of five. The leader of the group came up to pat Ness hard on the back.

"You two look better than ever!" One of the lead singers knelt down to Paula's level.

"And Paula, you're lookin' more lovely than ever," He smiled kissing her hand. Paula shied from the kiss. He ruffled her hair.

"So what brings you fellers here in Fourside? You gonna watch us perform? Who's your new friend back there?" He said pointing to me. Ness grabbed my arm and yanked me up with him.

"This is Jeff. He's ...uhhh…" Ness stammered. I sighed.

"Gonna help them save the world too, I see!" Another member laughed behind me slapping my back as I cringed. Another one came right up into my face. I felt so _violated_…

"Don't look so nervous, young man, we won't bite! Tell us something about yourself!" I said nothing until Ness nudged me to continue on.

"Well you see... I…" I was cut off by a comment that I almost choked on.

"Wait just a second. You wouldn't happen to be... are you _the_ Jeff _Andonuts_? You're not _Dr. Andonuts son, are you?_" One of them asked. I was stock still. _Fuck. _They all 'ooed' among each other. I didn't miss how Ness and Paula looked at me.

_Great now they knew who my jerk dad was. _

"We got a genius on our hands! Maybe you could help us out, sonny!" One of them said putting an arm around my shoulders. I didn't like such close contact with someone I barely knew. The man whispered into my ear. "We need to break this joint." I scoffed.

"_No no,_ you've got it all wrong! He's _not_ my father, _alright_? Enough of this genius stuff," I spoke in hostility crossing my arms. However, another member kept throwing fuel in the fire.

"Nonsense, Jeff! I'm sure you and your friends can still help us out. I'm positive you're a genius in your own way," He said. _The nerve of it all…_

"_Please...don't call me a genius_," I muttered. One of the members noticed my surly state, and instead turned to Ness and Paula.

"You see...erm... we kinda tangled ourselves into another knot again, Ness," He said. "_**Hit it!**_" One of the singers tilted his hat down, and started to snap. The others 'oooed' in tune.

"_All we wanted was fame...all we wanted was fortune_! _ But what we desired the most was what we had all along. Now it's gone! Gone! __**Gone**__! Oooooo Yeah baby! Got fooled again! Got tricked twice! But the show has to go on...__**tonight**__! So maybe...maybe from the help of a genius... maybe from a friend...or maybe from our love of music, we can be free tonight! Whooohoooo!_" Ness and Paula clapped their hands while mine were still crossed in a grumpy fashion.

"We have to admit, we owe you kids so much! All we could possibly ask of you is to enjoy tonight's show, baby!" Moments later, a man poked his head through the door.

"Show starts in five!" All of them sighed. Ness sighed.

"What happened now?" Ness asked curiously.

"Well you see... remember what happened to us back in Twoson?" One of them said.

"And?"

"Well, we ran into the same bit of trouble... 'cept now we owe even more money in order to get out of the contract."

"Show starts in three!" They all sighed.

"Well... let's go bring down the _same_ house..._again_." All of them moped about. We followed them out of the room. I was sure that Ness glanced at me on the way out, but I kept my eyes straight forward.

Back in the theater instead of finding seats, we all stood. Paula clapped once one of The Runaway Five appeared on stage. I crossed my arms again and blew steam out of my nostrils.

"Boys and girls, do we have a bombshell to throw at you tonight! _aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHH!_ Hit it! Three! _Two! __**ONE!**_" The curtains gave way, revealing the two singers and band players in the back ground. I must admit, I had never been to a live concert that's been given outside my school before. Their music wasn't bad either. Maybe it was just the mood I was in when I noticed Ness giving me apologetic glances to me once and a while. And everyone else was having a ball as well, their applause was huge. I was miserable. And Ness knew it.

After the concert, before we left, we went to go talk to the manager at the joint.

"I'm sorry, but in order for them to break their contract with us, they'd have to owe us around a million dollars or so." The lady at the desk shrugged. All of our jaws dropped to the ground.

--

It was around 9:00 when we were out in the streets again. Ness bought Paula a strawberry ice cream cone, while Ness bought himself rocky road. I decline his offer again.

"Come on, Jeff, you'll like it, this ice cream is good," Paula assured me. I shook my head.

"I'm pretty sure it tastes good, Paula, but I already said, I don't like it when people buy me things, it's just something I'm not used to. Ness frowned. I didn't miss the glint in his eye, he knew something was up.

"_Fine, Jeff._" Ness replied walking out of the ice cream parlor with Paula. I trailed right behind them.

The streets that night were busy, loud, and clustered. We all stayed as close to each other as possible, at least until we got to the hotel.

"Seriously, they owe them around a million dollars? How dense are they?" Ness half heartedly ranted.

"They must have tricked them into the deal, just like last time," Paula commented. Ness snorted.

"Well obviously. But The Runaway Five are supposed to be _The Runaway Five_, not _We Got Stuck Into This Really Shitty Contract Five!_"

"How'd you two get them out of their debt last time?" I asked.

"Oh, well you see, once Ness and I returned to Twoson, this guy-" Ness cut her off.

"We tricked the dealer, and swindled them a bit, let's just put it at that." Ness cast Paula a warning look. Did she say something wrong? Paula smiled shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm sure we could swindle, or pay this place as well somehow," Paula commented taking another lick of her ice cream. We thought for a moment. Then something clicked in my mind.

"Hey, didn't that construction guy in the desert say that he would give us any gold if he found any?" I mentioned. Ness's expression lit up, melted chocolate painted the corners of his mouth.

"That's _it, _Jeff! We'll go visit him in the morning! Maybe he'll have some gold then!" He exclaimed. Paula giggled.

"Do you really think that he would follow through in his offer?" She asked us eating the last bit of her dripping ice cream cone. Ness shrugged.

"It's worth a try at least. He said he'd give us _something_. Hey Paula, let me wipe your face, you got melted ice cream all over yourself!" He laughed using his shirt and a nearby water fountain to wipe it away. It was then that someone else had bumped into me. I scoffed at them, nearly flipping them off until Ness and Paula returned. I snorted, crossing my arms. Paula gave me an odd look, but I pushed the thought away. When we were about two blocks away from the hotel, Ness had finished his ice cream while asking "Even if he did give us some gold, do you think it would be enough?" Ness asked.

"Its gold, isn't it? I mean, you can't come across gold that much these days," Paula replied.

"What do you think, Jeff?" Ness asked looking up at me. I shrugged.

"Depends how much he gives us, and as long as it's not fool's gold either." I replied eyeing the bit of ice cream left on the corner of his mouth. I wasn't sure what motivated me to do what I was about to do, I guess it was the fact that it looked out of place, therefore irritating me.

"Hey... you got some around your mouth," I spoke softly, thumbing the bit of melted chocolate off the corner of his mouth. I must have caught Ness off guard, because he seemed to flush at the sudden contact that I chuckled inwardly at. He looked dumbstruck; his cheeks were still tinged pink. "I...there's nothing else on my face, is there?' Ness asked awkwardly. I resisted saying anything about his blush, for some reason I didn't fully understand, I wanted it to stay on his face, just a bit longer. Maybe it was my way of payback for him putting me in that embarrassing moment with The Runaway Five. So I shook my head.

"Don't worry, you're clean," I replied feeling my mouth curve up slightly. Ness quickly averted his eyes to Paula, who was trying to decipher our little strange moment.

"Ok good..." I almost couldn't hear Ness mumble. I could only chuckle to myself. He didn't seem to say much since until we got to the hotel.

I wondered why?

--

"Name please?" The hotel manager asked.

"Ness..." The manager's eyes seemed to light up, as he seemed to scan through a packet of papers.

"Ness, Paula and Jeff?" He spoke out loud. We all looked at each other skeptically. We hadn't even placed our reservation, how did he know everyone's name?

"Yeeeah?"

"I'm sorry, but you trio are already on the ban list. And since it's strictly under Monotoli's rules, we can't allow you three to stay at out hotel.

"_What?!"_ Our jaws dropped. The man coughed, and showed us the list.

"See for yourself. I'm sorry, but as long as your names are on this list, it is strictly forbidden and illegal to let you spend the night in our hotel." Ness gritted his teeth, and grabbed Paula's hand and stomped outside.

"_I fucking hate Pokey! That arrogant jerk! Where the hell are we supposed to stay overnight?!" _Ness ranted kicking an empty trash can. I frowned.

"Let me see that brochure..." I said. Ness tossed it to me as I looked at the list for places to stay.

"Hey... here's an address for a hostel. And it's a national chain as well..."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ness asked.

"What's a hostel?" Paula asked.

"Basically a hostel is just a lower quality hotel. It's mostly used for clubs and long stays. We can get our own room, but we may have to share a bathroom in the hall. And since it's a chain company, I don't think Pokey has any power over who stays there." I saw Ness's face light up instantly.

"Really? That means we don't need to sleep in the alley?! What are we waiting for then, let's go!" Ness spoke with dignity.

--

When we made it to the hostel, it looked lower middle class, but it was good enough for us to stay in. Inside it looked like there was already a meeting of some sort. To me, it looked like a group of magicians.

"Names please?"

"Ness, Paula and Jeff. We would like to make a reservation please." The man 'hmmed' and looked through the computer.

"I... I'm so sorry you guys, apparently were all out of rooms. How old are you kids? Why are you three out so late?" He asked concerned. Maybe we could make a deal with this guy.

"Well she's eight or nine. I'm fourteen, and he's...fifteen?" Ness said. The man at the counter sighed.

"I know this sounds a little unfair, but we _could_ make room for the little girl if we have to." It was really nice of him to offer, but I knew by both Paula and Ness that they would refuse the offer. We were all the sudden interrupted by someone's high spirited voice.

"Nonsense, we happen to have an extra room booked for two nights, for some of our more important members are staying somewhere that's classier than here!" One of the magicians from the club spoke to us fruitfully rushing up to the counter. All of our eyes went wide, almost as if we had met our first savior.

"Excuse me?" The man behind the counter said in offense for the hostel. I studied our savior closely, as he took off his magician hat off his head that was covered in long curly dark hair. His eyebrows for some reason looked connected, as if he needed to pluck them really badly. When he opened his mouth, his teeth were yellow. One of his teeth happened to be golden.

"Please excuse my manners I just overheard these two lovely gentlemen and the beautiful young lady over here needing a room to spend the night in. Frankly, we're staying here for the next week or so, and our extra room we booked is vacant. My treat." He said holding out a hand of cards to Ness. Ness looked at me and Paula sheepishly.

"Do I... pick one?" Ness asked pointing to himself.

"I insist." Ness pulled out an ace of spades, as the magician took the card from his hand, and made the card disappear behind his hand.

"Where did it go?" Ness asked amazed. The magician reached his hand behind his ear, and out came the card. Paula and Ness clapped; amazed of the trick without me. I gave the man a skeptical look. I wasn't much of a believer in magic.

"You are a very lucky young boy. Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Demetri." He said bowing to Ness. I didn't miss how his deep brown eyes twinkled. The man at the counter coughed.

"Aren't you going to show them to their room already? I was supposed to get off work around five minutes ago!" Demetri frowned at the man.

"Alright, alright, follow me! Everyone! This lovely trio will be joining us in the hostel! So everyone treat them with respect, you got that?" Everyone in the lobby nodded, and grabbed their stuff.

We walked up four flights of stairs to reach our room in which Demetri unlocked for us. It was a fairly small room, consisting of two bunk beds for four people. The closet consisted of four lockers to keep our stuff in if we needed to. I realized though that Ness was pretty lucky, discovering that we were staying in one of the dorms with its own bathroom and shower.

"I want the top bunk!" Paula cheered climbing up the top by the window. Ness was going to claim another bed only to be stopped by Demetri.

"Feel free to eat any of our food. And please tell me if something is wrong. Here's a bar of soap by the way." Ness took the bar of soap by surprise. Demetri winked at him.

"The hostel doesn't provide too much, so you may need that if you're planning to bathe," I didn't miss how he seemed to squeeze Ness's shoulder, almost as if he was probing him. It sent a small shiver up my spine when it seemed as if he gave me a cold glance. I couldn't tell since he was so quick about it, shutting the door behind him.

"It's _hot_ in here!" Ness complained opening the old window. This hostel period was old, but if it worked, it worked. And like Ness said, it was better than sleeping out in the streets.

"Guys... I'm stinky!" Paula complained taking Mr. Ziggy out of her small purse.

"So am I..." Ness said smelling his arm pits.

"_I need to use the bathroom..."_ I spoke desperately rushing in first. I lifted the seat up, and unzipped my pants. I couldn't shed off my suspicion. Was there more to the fact that he just happened to have a vacant room? My eyes wandered to a sign next to the mirror that said "_If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie, and wipe the seaty!"_ I snickered to myself as I flushed the toilet, forgetting to put down the seat. After rinsing my hands, and exiting the bathroom, Paula, and Ness were making their beds.

"Good, you're done! Now I can go take a bath!" She cheered, bringing her pajamas and Mr. Ziggy with her. She was taking a bath with Mr. Ziggy? Ness snapped the bar of soap in half.

"I'm gonna head to the showers myself. I'll just use one of the showers in the hall." He said grabbing his PJ's.

"See you in a little," I told Ness as he went out of our room. Moments later, Paula poked her head out of the door. Apparently she must have already undressed as I heard the water running inside.

"Jeff, can you hand me a towel from the closet, please?" She asked innocently. I silently complied, handing her a towel, and turning back to my business. However, she didn't leave.

"Umm... Jeff?" Paula asked. I sighed.

"What is it?" I asked. I didn't miss how her cheeks seemed to redden. Why? I could have sworn my nose was gonna start gushing out blood after she asked her next question.

"Did you forget to put the toilet seat back down?" I punched myself mentally. Feeling my cheeks burn up in embarrassment, I straightened my square glasses and muttered "I... kinda... forgot, yeah," I was surprised to see that something dawned on her face.

"Oh, ok, so that _was_ you! Thanks, Jeff I thought maybe someone snuck in, considering there's no way that Mr. Ziggy could have done it! I don't know why I didn't notice it lifted before I entered." She smiled closing the door. I fell to the floor, feeling my anxiety wash right out of me. _Why didn't I put the seat back down?_ My sigh was staggered. Bringing myself back up to my feet, I dug through my bag to find my PJ bottoms and my white t shirt. I kicked off my shoes, and changed into my bottoms first. But after I took off my uniform jacket, untied my tie, and started unbuttoning my shirt, I heard the door burst open.

"Jeff, I need a..." I turned around as I had my arms outstretched above my head with my white button down shirt. My eyes met a very frozen Ness.

"_Towel…"_ Ness looked bewildered; speechless as he stared at my shirtless form. I raised an eyebrow, tossing my shirt aside.

"Yes?" I asked in an awkward manner. Ness's cheeks turned magenta.

"I… Ididn'tmean..._didn't know you were changing, sorry_!" He stammered shutting the door quickly. I sighed.

"Ness... _we're both guys_, you can grab your towel."

"No, I can wait, finish getting dressed!" Ness replied with a squeaky voice behind the door. Grabbing another towel from the closet, I opened the door, in which Ness was standing right in front of. I inwardly smiled at my success at surprising him.

"Here, go take your shower. Next time, if you really don't want to catch me _changing_, I suggest you to knock first," I smirked at him. Ness kept his eyes from mine nodding sheepishly before rushing back to the showers. It was a good thing I was used to changing in front of guys my own age, or else I would have been embarrassed as well.

By the time Paula was done taking her bath, and brushing her teeth, I heard a knock at the door. I chuckled to myself.

"Come in," Ness slowly opened the door; his cheeks tinged a soft pink when he spotted me lying down and reading a small text book of mine.

"Sorry 'bout before..." Ness plopped down on his bunk. I shrugged.

"It's alright, we all make mistakes sometimes," I told him. Ness nodded silently.

"Umm… Jeff?" Ness asked. I cast him a sideways glance. It was then that Paula walked in with Mr. Ziggy.

"Never mind…" Paula climbed up to her bunk. Apparently he didn't want Paula hearing what he wanted to say. I wondered why…

"Don't you guys think Demetri was so nice to lend us one of his rooms for the night? Just think of what could have happened if we didn't get this room," Paula smiled snuggling under the covers with Mr. Ziggy. Ness laughed.

"Yeah, it was real nice of him. Can you believe that before and after my shower, that he was still bugging me? He was showing me more of his magic tricks. He's a good magician, friendly too, but for some reason, I felt a little claustrophobic around him. These hallways are very narrow after all, I even felt squished in the shower." Ness chuckled to himself. But I furrowed my eyebrows at him. Even so… if he felt claustrophobic around _him…_

"What did he do?" I asked Ness sternly. Ness looked at me.

"What... what do you mean?" Ness asked me innocently. I put my book down.

"Why did he do to make you feel uncomfortable? Because even in such a cramped place like this, he shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable." Ness averted his eyes from mine, taking one glance at Paula, who I was sure was eavesdropping very easily. I sighed.

"Ness, _look_ at me. I know _I'm_ probably making you feel uncomfortable at the moment, but I won't stand by and let some random person take advantage of you, or Paula, and you shouldn't either." Ness's blue-gray doe eyes were daunt and weary once they met mine.

"I know... he wasn't by himself, and they were just showing me my magic tricks, that's all, so I guess it's..."

"There were _others_ like him around you as well?" I asked. Ness looked guilty from the sudden revelation. _God I hated magicians…_

"Ness, I don't want to start another argument, but you just shouldn't let these things happen. What if he works for that Giygas alien thing we've been going up against for all this time?" Ness frowned, and plopped his head on his pillow.

"Why are you so uptight about him? He offered us a place to stay the night."

"But he shouldn't be harassing you." Ness sighed and turned to face me while he lay down. His eyes seemed watery, as if he was guilty of an offensive crime.

"He wasn't harassing me… I dunno...I was only trying to be nice..." Ness said quieter. I got up to my feet and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Paula asked.

"Stay here," I told them.

Checking my watch it was already nearing 12:00. But making my way to the kitchen, I heard his voice talking to some of his so called friends.

"Did you see how surprised he looked at first when you showed him that magic trick, Demetri?" I froze in place, and hid behind a nearby wall eavesdropping.

"Ah, yes. Kids are too easy. He reminds me of my youth when I first saw a magic trick. Tis too bad he seemed to shy away later on. _Then_ he would have been easier to catch into our grasp." I heard everyone chuckling to themselves.

"Maybe then, we _all_ could have shown him our magic tricks." My eyes widened in horror. _Just what exactly where they trying to do to him?_

"I just wonder how we'll convince the little girl, and that other kid to join our club," One of them said. Hearing that was somewhat of a relief, but still it all seemed a little strange…

"It's too bad he'll have to go eventually..." I heard Demetri say. "He's just the right object of my desire. He definitely has an eye for magic, and I think that girl is the same way, thought I couldn't tell all that well. Nevertheless, that boy is _perfect..."_

_That was it._

I disguised my despise for him as I strolled into the kitchen to reach into the fridge to grab a bottle of water. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

I didn't give a damn this time.

"Why... _hello_ there. You were so quiet that I almost didn't notice you there." Demitri spoke innocently. I cast him a cold look leaning my back against the fridge. One of his little buddies whispered something in his ear.

"You are _their_ friend, right? Ness and the young little girl?" One of them asked. I was unresponsive, drinking out of my now claimed water bottle.

"Hey, you better say something, punk, because you can't-" Demetri cut him off.

"No no, Ness referred this boy to being called Jeff it seems. So they must know each other..." Careless Ness, how could he just give our names out like that? Demetri stood in front of me, curly hair framing his old after-shaved pale face. He leered down at me.

"Is there something you'd like?" Demetri asked kindly handing me out a hand of cards. "Pick one." I looked up at his smile.

"No thanks. I've seen it all before." I spoke politely to him. Demetri gasped.

"Do... do we have a non believer on our hands?" Everyone 'oooed' in the room. I snorted.

"Sorry, but it's true. I don't like tricks, they lie. I'd rather go seek the truth any day," I replied to him smirking. Demetri frowned.

"I see, a _scientist, eh?_ So tell me, _scientist_." He said showing me the back of his red cards.

"Why can we see that these cards in my hand are red? Why don't they appear yellow, or cyan, even if I used magic with the same deck?" I sighed. I tried to explain this as well as I could, my studies in color theory had been going stale lately.

"Well first off, different people can see different things. Not all people can see red. Secondly, color is basically a break up of light. For example, take a crystal ball to the light, and you'll see rainbows everywhere. This is so because the light is being re directed into multiple places at once, and is also breaking up the different colors. The reason why the surfaces of those cards appear red is simply because all the other colors in the light are being absorbed while the particular color red is being reflected back. In actuality, those cards, and everything around us are probably shades of grey, but it's the light, and our eyes that make them appear red. Though seriously, it doesn't take a _rocket __scientist_ to figure that one out, _magician_." I replied. Demetri snorted.

"Discrimination. What a petty." He said shuffling the red cards. I cut to the chase.

"Why were you harassing Ness?" I asked instantly. Demetri's eyes went wide.

"Oh no, no, no, we never harassed the boy! He was the one that wanted to see another trick. That Ness is such as sweet boy," He told me. I frowned.

"Then why did he tell me that he felt claustrophobic around you? I don't care how small these damn hallways are, he shouldn't feel threatened." I told him. I growled inwardly when I saw a smirk spread across his face.

"Am I making _you_ uncomfortable? If I am, I can back away. By all means, you don't have to be here, talking to me." His friends started snickering. "Just remember this. _I'm letting you stay here for free_." I was silent. Demetri paced in the room, looking down at the white and black checkered floor. "Before you leave, I would love to show you a trick, even if you decline." He sneered at me. "Have you heard in the news? Monotoli has been reported missing for about a month now. A boy and his father, _The _Minch's have taken his place until he reappears. It's funny, isn't it? It's almost as if he just- _disappeared"_ I glared at him.

"And you wouldn't have anything to do with his disappearance, would you?" I asked suspiciously. He snickered.

"It would take one genius to pull off that trick." He smiled. I eyed him.

"Why are you... telling me this anyways?" I asked. His eyes traveled to mine.

"I'm just trying to give an example. _Not everything is caused by science, or by reason_. Sometimes things happen, or are, simply because. There is no scientific explanation why we love, we hate, we cry, or we laugh... It is these emotions that exist just because that creates _magic_. It's a magician's duty to bestow those hidden emotions. Now maybe this doesn't have to do with Monotoli's disappearance. But I must tell you...there is something _magical_ about that boy, and the girl as well. He understood, possibly what my magical tricks meant deep inside. He _knows_ something, something that you or I could never know, love, hate, or feel..." Anger rose in my veins.

"_**Stay away from us,**_" I stated feeling my voice shake. His smile was content, and innocent. It was this kind of behavior that had always sent shivers down my spine. _It reminded me of that Pokey Minch…_

"As you wish," He said politely brushing out of my way. I tried brushing past him as quickly as possible, but I quickly came to a halt.

"What is it?" He asked. I didn't turn around.

"Weren't you going to... show me a magic trick?" I asked. There was a small pause.

"_I already have."_

I felt myself dart out of that room.

--

I panted once I returned to our room. The lights were already out it seemed. Paula was sleeping soundly in bed. When I shut the door, I realized how loud it actually was outside the hostel. It seemed like more people were out during the night rather than day time. I brought my hand to my forehead as I let my eyes float down to Ness, who was looking up at me.

"Jeff?" Ness whispered. His wide sympathetic eyes shimmered from the street lights. My breath was staggered, sitting down on my bunk under Paula's. I rested my forehead in my hands.

"Jeff- what happened?" Ness spoke softly, sitting up. "Why do you look so aggravated? Did he do something-?"

"Just go to sleep, Ness," I spoke in irritation. "We have a long day tomorrow." However when Ness refused to lay back down I lied down myself. I studied all the writing left over under the top bunk that had been engraved there for many years. I sighed when I knew Ness somewhat gave in and lay back down as well. But neither of us could sleep.

"I... wish you tell me what was wrong..." Did he really not suspect me to go talk to Demetri?

"I appreciate the fact that you wish not to argue with me." I told him. I heard Ness grunt something illegible.

"There's no point in arguing with a friend- especially if they're going to help me save more people than I'll ever meet." I was perplexed, but touched. _He thought of me as a friend already?_ There was a pause.

"I didn't know you thought of me as a friend..." I spoke softly.

'Well, yeah. You're the first guy friend I've had in a really long time that's lasted for at least a week." I gave him a sympathetic glance, though I couldn't see him clearly in the dark room.

"In a way...I'm really happy. I mean...I miss my mom, my dog my sister...even dad. I was closest to my mother; she was always there for me. But...I dunno, every time I made a friend from school, from the park, whatever. They never lasted... I don't know how my sister did it, she always had friends. They were all great. (Chuckle) One of them even asked me out. But that was crushed too." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"May I ask why they never lasted? I remember you saying something about your neighbors..." He sighed.

"My neighbors were rich when they moved next to us. I guess dad swindled them with their money, and they never got it back. So maybe they just wanted revenge..." I could tell by the tone of his voice that this wasn't his field of comfort. But before I could steer the conversation in different way, Ness said, "So I guess what I was saying is... now that I'm away from home, I can start making new friends...to feel like a normal kid. Maybe we'll meet someone new. But for now, you and Paula are more than enough." We were both silent for a while. I almost thought he had fallen asleep. He startled me when he asked his last question.

"_Is… Dr. Andonuts really your father?_" I winced.

"I never knew... he had a son…" He said with a hint of sadness. I didn't know what to do next. Should I or shouldn't I tell him more about me? It didn't matter in the end I guess…

"It's ok... I understand. You don't have to tell me a thing."


	9. Homesick

_**A/N: **__Thanks again for the sweet reviews KuroTenshiYuki, babyangel22, and the Leander! I hope you guys received my replies! :D_

_Oh, and thanks for the warm compliments on DeviantArt, Orkidee! X3_

I might be able to get this chapter up sooner than I thought! I'm not gonna say much beforehand. There's another character appearance in here. Not a lot of action happens in this chapter, but there's a bunch of conversations going on. It may be a little mushy at some parts too, but it shouldn't be anything 'over the top mushy.' I'm so happy this chapter is done; now I can finally work on what I have planned next… (Snickers to myself) So I guess here's chapter 9, hope you enjoy!

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_"Dang, I can't even get a frigging B, and here you are getting an A on every single algebra test, Jeff!" One of my friends, Pete had complained to me. I laughed._

_"Well then why don't you listen in class more? All you do is draw your lame comics while the teacher's lecturing!" I replied. Pete pouted._

_"They're not lame… And that's easy for you to say Jeff, you're gonna be promoted to calculus any day now," He sighed. I flashed him a cheeky grin. We were both stopped by Maxwell; he must have been heading to the library in a hurry._

_"Hey Jeff, we're meeting in the library today, don't forget," He told me passing by with three overflowing boxes in hand. Pete glanced from him to me, perplexity striking his face._

_"Hey, how come you have to go to Maxwell's room everyday afterschool? Do you have detention with him a lot, or do you just help him out with science stuff?" He asked. I frowned._

_"It's nothing like that," I replied trying to stray from the question. But he continued nonetheless._

_"Well then what is it?" He asked again. Before I could become hostile, we both spotted Tony and his gang of very strange friends approaching us. I noticed how Tony had a huge frown on his face._

_"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. Tony shrugged._

_"I failed my math test __**again**__, and he's only letting me re-take it one more time…" He replied. __**Jeez, was I the only kid in this school that didn't suck so horribly at algebra? **__Tony sighed._

_"It's ok Tony you'll get it next time!" One of his friends told him. I crossed my arms._

_"You need help studying this afternoon?" I asked him. Tonys eyes lit up slightly._

_"I thought you were busy all afterschool today," Tony said. I shrugged. _

_"I'm sure we can work something out. I have to go to the library today right afterschool anyways. Maxwell will understand, most of the time, I'm stuck doing nothing in his room anyways. Just meet me there; I'll make sure you understand every problem, alright?" I told him. Tonys frown lifted up to a semi smile._

_"You'd really do that?" He asked. I nodded. Tonys mouth finally curved all the way up._

_"Alright, thanks Jeff… I'll see you there," He grinned walking away with his friends while Pete and I made our own way. Pete looked back at Tonys crowd._

_"Heeeey, how come you only help Tony out with school? Can't you help me too?" Pete asked with a pout. I managed to chuckle at his question._

_"You never ask," I said._

_"Well __**he**__ didn't ask!" Pete sulked about. I sighed._

_"Look Pete, it's not that I won't help anyone else. I'm just busy all the time… and besides. I'm sick and tired of seeing Tony frown all the time."_

XxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 9 Homesick_

XxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxXxxxxxxxX

I woke up with the feeling of air being punched out of my stomach. I opened my eyes to find Paula sitting on top of me. Apparently I forgot to take off my glasses before I fell asleep. Ness was laughing.

"Paula, don't jump on Jeff to wake him up!" He said handing me a bowl of honey nut cheerios, a cereal I hadn't eaten since I was at my boarding school…

"Morning guys," I smiled up at Paula, who was still sitting on my legs.

"Morning yourself, Jeff. Your hair is awfully messy, let me brush it!" She said searching for a comb in her bag that was then brought to her by Mr. Ziggy. I saw a small piece of paper fall out of her bag that Ness picked up instantly on instinct. Ness's looked like something had dawned on him when he looked at the paper, but resumed on what he was doing afterwards. I enjoyed my cereal while Paula was happily combing my hair behind me.

"Ah-" I yelped. Paula tugged on a knot.

"Sorry," Paula mumbled. Ness shook his red and blue cap out, and set it sideways on his head like he always did; pieces of his clean but messy jet black hair poked out underneath. Paula broke the silence with an embarrassing question.

"How come you forgot to put the toilet seat back down?" I practically spit out my milk, though Paula didn't seem fazed by it. Glancing at Ness, his jaw hit rock bottom.

"_What?"_ My freckled cheeks turned magenta.

"_You didn't put the seat back down last night?!"_ Ness questioned me in a whisper.

"Jeez, alright, I admit it! I forgot to put the seat back down! I'm sorry." I put my hands up in surrender.

"How come boys need to lift the toilet seat, I never have to…" She asked innocently. I looked at Ness, who tried to hide his laugh with a snort. Both of us let our steam loose, and laughed our hearts content.

"_What? Tell me!"_ I could have sworn there were tears collecting in the corners of my eyes.

"Maybe when you're older" Ness lied when he was able to talk straight again.

--

I was happy to find that the so called _'_magician' was gone. He just freaked me out. But still, I didn't remember him showing me any particular magic trick.

"_I already have."_ He repeated in my mind. And just how he talked about not only Ness, but Paula as well… I shuttered at the thought. I started to think that he had to do with what we were trying to accomplish, which was something I still wasn't sure of myself. Or… _hopefully it had nothing to do with my folks back up in Winters…_ I thought. _Now I was just being paranoid… _When we were downstairs, I talked to the man at the counter while Ness went to the phone with Paula. I asked the man at the counter about the magician club.

"I don't know how long they're staying in town, but as long as you guys have the money, you can stay here all you want, alright? I know how hard it is these days to get a place to stay," He told me.

"Thanks" I said before walking up to Ness.

"Paula, I have a surprise for you," Ness grinned handing Paula the phone.

"Who is it?" She asked. Almost immediately, she shouted happily "_**Daddy!**_" I couldn't help but grin myself.

"Ness, that was so nice of you," I told him. Ness couldn't erase his grin.

"I couldn't help it when I found her home phone number fall out of her bag," He said holding up the small piece of paper up. Paula kept yakking happily to the other line.

"Yes, he's practically my big brother now!" Ness and I snickered to ourselves. "That was probably me she was talking about" Ness said.

"And someone else is traveling with us too! His name is Jeff." There was a pause.

"Yeah, he has freckles, and he blushes a lot, it's so funny!" She spoke gleefully into the phone. Ness snickered as I blushed trying to hide behind my glasses and averting my gaze. _My goodness, spread it around the world will you, Paula,_ I thought.

"She _likes_ you!" Ness said.

"Well at least she doesn't hate me," I replied.

"Ok... I love you daddy, tell mommy that I love her too as well as everyone at the pre-school. Love you, bye-bye!" She hung up the phone, then ran up to us and gave both of us a bear hug. It was so foreign to me; to hear someone tell their father that they loved them so much. I know for a fact; it was something I could never say to mine. I smiled down to her, almost in admiration.

"Thank you two so much!" She squealed, looking at both of us. Without a second thought, she grabbed both of our hands, we were out the door. Talking to her parents made her extra happy I thought. I wonder if my mood would have cheered up if I gave Maxwell a call sometime.

"To the desert!" Paula cheered.

--

The construction site had grown three sizes, a round trench forming with a cave entrance. It seemed to attract quite a lot of attention. I loosened my tie around my neck from the heat. We found, and spoke to the same man we saw before; the one that offered us gold.

"We couldn't find anything yet, but we discovered a cave with weird wild creatures inside, and five giant moles claiming to be the third strongest. I don't know, but they were frightening! I'm not getting back in there as long as they're still in there!" The construction man said. So I was guessing we had to kick some mole butt inside the cave. _Great… _Ness sighed.

"Come on guys, let's go..."

Inside the cave was just basically a maze of ducks, poisonous snakes, and overgrown ants and walking nooses! I had to admit, that freaked me out at first, especially when one was able to strangle my neck. It took a while, but we were able to pull through, and defeat each of the moles, all of them claiming to be the third strongest for some strange reason. We picked up some nice items along the way, including a nice looking device, but had been broken in my knowledge. When we exited out of the cave, all three of us felt like collapsing.

"You kids cleared out the monsters? You guys are amazing! Now we can go back in there and dig again, thanks a lot! Go purchase some lunch and take a breather out in that hut over there, my treat!" He said handing us around thirty dollars. _Well at least it was something…_

"Thank you so much!" Ness smiled.

"Oh, and if I find any gold, I'll let you know!" He said before descending into the cave. Paula sighed and put her hair up in a pony tail.

"Alright, let's go get something, and cool off in the cabin." Ness said.

--

From the convenient stand for the crowd, Ness bought three wet towels to keep us cool as well as three hamburgers and soda pop. After that, we ate at the table inside the cabin. I wrapped my wet towel around my neck.

_"Ahhhh_..." I sighed in relief. "I forgot how hot this place was."

"Yeah., it's like summer is repeating itself already! I was just in this kind of heat at home when it was July," Ness replied. My eyes averted in thought.

"I never had to worry. Up in Winters, it's always cold if not covered in snow," I said rubbing the back of my neck with the towel. Which reminded me oh so much what I missed about it, there was no blazing heat. Though I guess a blizzard would be just as bad. My thoughts started trailing off as I ate more. They trailed to Mr. Maxwell and his bizarre experiments, the Friday lunch specials in the cafeteria, my friends from science class. _My roommate and best friend Tony…_ I pulled out a piece of paper, and a pen; I had always carried a small notebook, just in case.

_Besides, didn't I promise to write to him?_

_Dear Tony,_

_I'm alive and well. These past few weeks have been hectic, but interesting. Just to let you know, I've made it safe and sound, even though I had an unpleasant encounter with my father; the first time in ten years in fact. Hmm, he didn't acknowledge at first that I was his son, and tried to play dumb with me. I knew he knew better, we both did. The last words he spoke to me were "Let's get together again in ten years..."_

_Though these days have been hard, tiring, and a bit confusing, I'm not alone. I travel with two others, one is a young precious girl named Paula. She's not your typical little girl; she can be a smart, obnoxious mouth if she chooses to. She's friendly though, and I think she cares for us quite a bit. I think she'll be very pretty when she grows up. I think you two would have gotten along in the playground, she seems to be the type to make friends with, and she even helped me think a little straighter one time. She's pretty mature for her age, and her favorite ice cream happens to be yours as well._

_The other person I travel with is a guy around our age names Ness. He's younger than me, but a few months older than you I'm afraid. Nonetheless, our relationship started bumpy, but all in all, he's not a bad person. In fact, I feel bad for him. We share some differences and similarities as well. For instance, I don't think he had as great of a childhood as he should have had. We also met his sister along the way apparently; she embarrassed him a lot in front of us. But even so, you know what, Tony? He has the guts to do something neither of us could do; he contacts his parents at least once a week. I envy him in that sense; he has a loving family, especially his mother. I have yet more things to learn about him as well as Paula, but sometimes he's very open when we're having a conversation. He even said that he was once afraid of me… whatever that means. But I'm not ready to tell him more about myself; does that make me a coward?_

_I would love for you to meet them someday, and I hope to see you again as soon as possible. By the way, how have things been at school? How was your birthday? Have your study habits changed? Are people respecting you like they should? Mr. Maxwell hasn't done anything obscure, right? But just most of all, how are you? As much as this journey has its ups and downs, there is still one thing that hasn't changed, and will never change._

_I miss you, Tony, I really do. I miss your smile, your laugh, your bubbly personality, your voice... fuck, now I'm starting to sound too mushy. In that sense though, I can feel a little homesick. Sometimes I pretend you're right next to me to say that everything will be alright, so I can get back up on my feet again. It's so different without you... sometimes it's frightening._

_Just promise me this. Take care of yourself, and be happy. As long as I know that, I'll be fine. And I promise I haven't done anything too reckless, at least not yet. So try not to worry, alright? Sorry for the late, mushy letter. I'll write to you soon, ok?_

_P.S. Please don't show anyone else this letter, okay?_

_ Sincerely,_

_ Jeff Andonuts_

"Oooo, who are you writing to?" Paula asked over my shoulder. I blushed brilliantly, and covered the letter.

"It's… just-nothing!" My voice shook. Paula giggled.

"It's _something_; you've been showing many emotions on your face while you were writing. Is it to someone you _like_?" Paula asked. I could feel my cheeks burning. I looked to see if Ness was aware of our conversation, but he was busy throwing away the trash.

"It's just to one of my friends from school, that's all! Besides, there were no _girls_ at my school, so there!" I spoke semi harshly. However, the smirk still remained plastered on her face.

"Can't boys fall in love with other boys as well?" Paula remarked innocently. _Jeez, and I even wrote in the letter that she was mature._ I was stumbled on what to say to her.

"Well...uhh...-"

"Paula, why are you making Jeff look so uncomfortable?" Ness asked with no clue whatsoever. Paula looked bewildered as she smiled happily at Ness.

"Oh _nothing..._" She said before kicking the floor boards softly. I sighed in relief. _Thank you Ness,_ I thought. Though I don't think that smile from her face completely went away…

--

After we were done, we started to head back to Fourside before it became too late. Once we got there; as we were crossing the bridge, we were stopped by one of the yellow construction cars. Out of the car came the same guy that offered us gold. Did he follow us all the way here? _Wait, we could have gotten a ride from him if he was going to follow us this far!_

"Hey! Guess what? We couldn't find anything as valuable as gold, but we did find this diamond, so I'll give it to you guys. Hey, it may come in handy for you guys more than us!" He laughed handing Ness a decent sized diamond. Why the heck didn't he think diamonds themselves were treasure? Coming across diamonds these days were very rare. We said our thanks, and waved him goodbye; departing into the city limits.

"It's a diamond... but maybe we could work something out with the manager of the Topolla Theater?" Ness mentioned holding out the dirty diamond in front of us. He grabbed his not so wet towel anymore, ran it under a nearby fountain, and polished the valuable rock. Looking around me, I tried to find the nearest post box.

"I'll be right back" I told Ness and Paula. Jogging to the corner of the block, I snuck my sealed letter out, and slipped it in the box. When I turned around, Ness and Paula were already right behind me.

"What are you sending?" Ness asked curiously. I became impatient, and hostile of the situation.

"It's just a letter to my friend back up in Winters, alright?" I stated. I was happy to see that Ness didn't argue back, but instead shrugged.

"That's fine, I was just wondering." He smiled. I smiled back.

"Can you check the time?" Ness asked. I nodded checking my watch.

"It's around six. Should we purchase tickets again to go see the manager?"

"Yeah, let's get going," Ness said grabbing Paula.

--

"Oh my… that's… are you offering that diamond to me? I'm sorry, but if you're proposing to me, I don't think I'd want to marry such a young man like yourself, nonetheless I don't think it's legal…" The female manager of the jazz joint replied. Ness rolled his eyes.

"_It's not a proposal!_ We-" I cut him off.

"We were just wondering if this would cover the bill of The Runaway Five's debt, that's all," I answered for him. The lady formed an 'O' on her lips. Inspecting the diamond in Ness's hand, she timidly reached out for it.

"Can…can I touch it?" She asked quietly.

"_You can __**take**__ it if you let The Runaway Five go!" _Ness spoke in hostility. I sighed. The lady practically snatched the gem out of Ness's open palm, and held it up to the sun glistening through the window blinds.

_"_It sure looks beautiful… and diamonds are worth a lot of money_…well maybe this one is worth fifty bucks, but hopefully it's the real deal._ But it sure is _beautiful…_" Ness started gritting his teeth.

"So what'll it be?" Ness asked. Moments still went by.

"Alright, it's a deal," She said suddenly in a monotone voice twirling around to face us. "You kids are even lucky that I would follow through with such as deal," She said while taking The Runaway Five's contract out and ripping it in front of our eyes. Paula cheered. It was at that very moment that The Runaway Five barged into the room. Were they eavesdropping throughout the entire conversation?

"_Did I just hear the sound of a contract rip?_ This is gonna make a hip beat, baby! Thanks again, sugar!" One of the lead singers said with confidence as the entire band circled around the desk.

"Sorry for being such troublemakers, ma'am, we won't mess with your theater again!" He said before leaving the room. The other band singer walked up to the desk.

"We won't be so gullible anymore… Well, gotta go, Ness and co. Our fans are waitin', baby!" Then he left as well. One by one they left with some of their last words.

"_Finally, _let's just do this one last show, and then get outta here," He said rolling his eyes.

"We have no idea how we can thank you guys! Thank you so, so much!" The last one took a while to get going as he practically sang to us.

"Money that's what I want! Money, that's what is hot! Money that's what I want! Money, it's what we ain't got 'cept freedom, _freedom, freedom is what we've really sought_!" He kept singing, until one of the band members came in, and dragged him out of the room.

"You gonna keep singing here, or are you going to run with us?" He said before they were out of the room. All four of us snickered to ourselves.

"Well, I guess you kids made them happy! Go on, see their last show before they hit the road," She said to us. We all said our thanks and went to watch them perform one last time in the Topolla Theater.

--

"Welcome to the final Runaway Five performance at the Topolla Theater!" One of the Band members spoke into the mike. They had already started once we entered the door, so we just stood again, seeing that it was a full house.

"It's gonna be a _great_ show! Why we're so good, it makes me… _think that those kids by the exit will wet their pants! Those kids are hip, baby!_" Paula, Ness and I exchanged glances to each other. I noticed most of the heads turning to look at us, if they could even see. I was very timid of the whole situation, that it must have come to Paula's attention as she held my hand. I looked down at her, and chuckled nervously.

Their performance I enjoyed much better this time, since I was in a better mood. The entire audience started to clap at the beat once the music had started on a role. Eventually, everyone shouted and wooed when a foxy lady in a revealing black dress. She walked out on stage and started to sing and dance with them.

"Yeah, Venus!" One of the men shouted on the top of their lungs. Eventually through the song, their tour bus actually drove on stage, and they all got on the bus, including the popular female singer known as Venus.

"_Thank you everyone! Have a good night!!_ One of them shouted before they all drove off the stage. Everyone stood, and cheered for them. For some reason, I just knew that this performance would make it on the news somehow.

--

Once we headed outside the theater again, Ness's receiver phone rang.

"Yeah?" Ness answered. "Ok, we'll head right there. Hey guys, let's go get some ice cream, The Runaway Five is there waiting to talk to us." Ness said. Paula grinned.

"More ice cream!" Paula cheered lifting Mr. Ziggy in the air.

"What do they want?" I asked. Ness shrugged.

"I dunno, he just said that they really needed us to come right over to talk to them."

"Probably for getting them out of their debt," I assumed.

"Probably. Maybe they'll propose an apology to us." Ness snickered.

--

The tiny ice cream parlor was packed with either people that got ice cream on the go, or just people that wanted a glimpse of The Runaway Five. For some odd reason however, there was a bunch of men as well, but it wasn't for them, it was because accompanied with them was feminine singer, Venus, still dressed in her revealing black gown.

"_There they are!_" one of the band members gasped pointing at us in the doorway. One of the singers stood on his chair.

"_Everyone in the shop, may I have your attention! These three kids, Ness, Paula, and… what's your name again, kid?"_ I frowned, until one of the other band members whispered something in his ear.

"_Ness, Paula, and Jeff, of course! Sorry kid! These three, believe it or not, has been supporting our recent struggles like a back bone of taaaaitanium, baby! Boy, if it wasn't for these kids, we'd still be stuck, heck, we'd still be in Twoson at the moment! Please, everyone, give them all around applause!"_ Everyone clapped as they cheered for use. Paula's grin spread wider than Ness's and mine. I wasn't used to all of this attention; it kind of reminded me of when we returned to Threed. I just hoped that it wasn't going to be like this for the rest of our trip. Soon enough, the commotion died down. One of the band leaders shook Ness's hand; more like his whole arm up and down. It was like this, all of them shook our hands, until soon enough we were introduced to her.

"Venus, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is the famous Paula Polestar from Twoson. Paula, this is Venus."

"Glad to meet you, Venus, you're very pretty, and your voice is pretty as well," Paula commented sincerely. Venus had a look of awe on her face.

"_Aww, aren't you the sweetest doll I have ever met!_" She embraced Paula in her arms. "I have been a huge fan of you for the longest time; it is such an honor for you to watch me perform on stage!" Venus said actually blushing. Paula blushed herself.

"I'm only expressing the truth, ma'am" She smiled. Venus giggled.

"They say you are one extraordinary young girl. I'm not sure if you know this yourself, though you probably do, but you really are special, even just by looking into your gorgeous eyes, my problems just seem to wash away. Did anyone tell you what a gorgeous young face you've got?" Paula shook her head yes, blushing from the compliment.

"My Mom, and Dad tell me that all the time, but I don't hear it very often from others." Venus's expression was somewhat sympathetic.

"Would you like some ice cream, Paula? I'll buy you any flavor you'd like!" Venus asked kneeling down to her level, and softly pinching Paula's nose. Paula grinned.

"I'd love some, thanks!" She said, as Venus held her hand, and led her to the ice cream display. Me, and Ness sat next to each other, watching Venus buy Paula an ice cream cone. Ness sighed.

"I'm beat! Those damn moles underground really whipped me out today," He said yawning. All of them wouldn't shut up about how they were the third strongest; they were both equally tough and puny at the same time! I dunno where Paula gets all her energy; she doesn't even know any healing spells yet!" Ness rambled.

"Well, what can I say, she's still really young. And besides, how many times did you treat her back in the underground maze, six?" Part of Ness's mouth curved down.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Most of my PSI is wasted on her; I barely have any left to fend for myself. You don't think… I baby her too much, do I?" Ness asked. Ness seemed tentative about the question as he tapped his foot on the ground averting his eyes to the black and white checkered floor.

"Well, if you're keeping her from getting hurt, it shouldn't be considered 'babying' anyways. It just shows that you're looking out for her, that's all, and that's perfectly fine." I replied honestly. Ness sighed.

"I try… I really do. I know I'm going to sound like a jerk for saying this… but sometimes I really do think of her as a younger sister. I think she's really grown on me. She doesn't bug me as much as Tracy does." I chuckled.

"She's your friend, and that's what friends do. I'm pretty sure she cares for you like you do for her, I mean, remember what she said about us over the phone? She thinks of you as a bigger brother, something she probably couldn't have gotten anywhere else. If it really bugs you, just tell her, and don't let it get the better of you." I replied. Ness soaked in what I had told him, and smiled softly.

"Yeah… I guess you're right Jeff, thanks." Once Venus and Paula walked back with two ice cream cones, The Runaway Five started a conversation with us.

"So you kids up to going to the new department store once we break this joint tonight? It just opened this week, there's a huge sale going on."

"A new department store?" Ness asked.

"Yeah, just a few blocks from here actually, it's across from the Monotoli tower, can't miss it. We boys want to do something for yah three in return for your generosity." However Ness shook his head.

"We really should be heading back after Paula finishes her ice cream, it's already 10:00 after all. But thanks for mentioning it; we'll check it out tomorrow morning. Speaking of ice cream, I want one myself. Jeff, you want some ice cream?" I shook my head.

"No thank you Ness, you don't have to do anything for me." I replied, but I didn't miss the disappointment in his frown.

"Jeff, come on… you never let me get you anything, you've barely eaten anything these past few days!" Ness whined. I chuckled.

"I'm _sure_ Ness, I'm fine, I'm not gonna die from the lack of an ice cream cone. Just get one for yourself." I smiled.

"Come on, just get something…" I frowned at him.

"_Yet again, Ness, I'm positive about my decision. Now go and get your ice cream,"_ I told him as nicely as possible. Ness looked like he was going to pout, until his shoulders dropped.

"Suit yourself." He said in both defeat and annoyance. I couldn't shed off the feeling of Venus keeping a close eye on me, until she stood up, told Paula she would be back, and walked over to Ness. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but when Ness looked over at me, a sad frown forming on his face. I felt my eyes quickly dart from him. _Were they talking about me?_

"Venus is such a nice lady!" Paula smiled at me licking her ice cream. I nodded in response, collecting my senses again.

"Did you like the performance?" She asked. One of the band members decided to kick into the conversation.

"Yeah, Jeff, how'd you like our last concert there at the Topolla Theater?" He asked scratching his chin. I averted my eyes to the table, deciding to fiddle with a nearby napkin.

"It was… I have to be honest it was a lot better than when I first saw you guys perform," I replied. The man 'hmmed.'

"Probably, we were kinda sad at the time, we were hopin' it wasn't going to rub off, but I guess it did. However, we're free now, so it doesn't matter all that much anymore." He grinned as Venus walked over to us, immediately grabbing a chair, and sitting right in front of me. She positioned herself where she was able to cross her legs, and lean her elbow on her knee while resting her chin in her palm. The way she was positioned, I was sure that her cleavage was showing, because of how many men around us were staring at her blankly. However, I was too shy at the time to even look at her, and I almost started to tap my finger on the table impatiently.

"Something really _is_ bothering you," Venus said. Paula gave me a glance. _Great, she got Paula's awareness. _I gave Venus an apathetic look.

"And what makes you say that?" I said leaning my elbow on the table. Venus frowned.

"I can always tell when something is on a man's mind. Tell me, what's bothering you?" She tried again. I was unresponsive.

"Your friend, Ness told me he's been trying to figure out why you wouldn't let him do anything for you. He wants to help you, Jeff, but you don't seem very open about your emotions, do you?" I rolled my eyes.

"It's nothing personal, alright? I'm just not used to anyone doing anything for me, that's all." I noticed on the corner of my eye Paula following the conversation closely licking her strawberry ice cream.

"Why _aren't_ you used to it?" She said to me, which somewhat got my attention. I glanced over at the counter where Ness was purchasing a cone of rocky road, his face seemingly mute.

"It's just… something I never needed, alright?" I replied, while still looking over at Ness, who was now exchanging money to the worker.

"There is no such thing. Everyone needs something from someone once and a while. For example, at one point, you relied on your mother in order to survive as an infant, everyone did," Venus spoke. I shuddered slightly when she said the word '_mother.'_ I think Paula took note.

"Yeah, so? What if I said that once that need was done with, I never had the need to _need_ ever again? I don't want to sound offensive Venus, but this conversation is getting us nowhere…" At least until Paula finally spoke up.

"Jeff… are you homesick?" My eyes widened, snapping my head over to her. Paula's frown was sympathetic, as if she _knew_ something that I never told her. Not even _Tony_ could predict such precise…

_I was homesick…_

I didn't understand; technically, I didn't even have a home, just a boarding school, and that's hardly perfect in any way. Venus sighed as we saw Ness making his way back to the table, trying to avoid my eye contact. "We need to talk," She said grabbing my wrist, and dragging me up to the ice cream counter. I growled.

"_What?_ We barely even know each other, why are you trying to figure me out?" I questioned in hostility. Venus somewhat glared at me.

"I spoke to both Paula and Ness, so I might as well talk to you. Paula is possibly the sweetest person I will ever meet. She _loves_ both of you boys like family, and claims that she would do anything for you two. Ness on the other hand feels the same exact way towards Paula, but is afraid to know what to think of you yet. I could tell from how he spoke to me that he worries for you, like he does for Paula. However, he told me, that no matter how much he tried, how much he opened up his shell for you, you're still withdrawn towards him. He confessed that he had to ask little Paula a number of times what might be bothering you. Are you distant from everyone like this, or do you just not want to be friends with them?" Venus explained. I was baffled. Was she…

"What are you trying to say?" I asked. Venus glanced back at Ness and Paula with The Runaway Five.

"You may not need Ness for any of your needs, but please, give him a chance. He may need you more than you need him." She smiled when the realization dawned on me. Of course, why hadn't I thought of that? I glanced at Ness and Paula, who were both laughing about something while Ness whipped Paula's mouth clean. Had he thought all this time that I didn't want to be his friend?

_"There's no point in arguing with a friend- especially if they're going to help me save more people than I'll ever meet."_ I remembered Ness telling me last night.

"I guess you're right…" I said softly shaking my head. "This makes me feel like a complete jerk," I replied running my fingers through my blond hair. This whole situation was starting to make my stomach feel uneasy. Venus had a pretty face; which was one reason why I kept my eyes averted. But it was also the fact that she was starting to unravel personal things about me.

"Don't say that, Jeff, like you said, you weren't used to such behavior. You don't have to do much, just let him help you once and a while. But don't take advantage of it, you should help him too." She smiled down to me. I smiled back sheepishly when my glasses became out of line. When I adjusted them however, Venus caught me by surprise by taking my glasses away from me, leaving my sight temporarily blind. Venus 'hmmed' in an interested manner, sliding my glasses back on passed my ears. I scratched them in response to the tickling sensation, slightly blushing as she seemingly studied my face.

"I noticed how many times tonight that you had to adjust your glasses. On first glance, it makes you look like a klutz. Though, when I was able to see your face without them for the first time, I realized that you're _really_ a handsome young man," She murmured comfortably. My cheeks embarrassingly flared up.

"I… ahh-" Venus put a finger on my mouth.

"I didn't realize your eyes were green, they're beautiful. Who gave them to you?" She asked. I hesitated to speak.

"My… mom, why?" I asked. Venus smiled sympathetically.

"She must have been beautiful…" My eyes widened, taking note of her _using past tense._

"How-" I shook from the reality of it all, picturing my mother smiling down to me when I was young.

"You cringed when I mentioned her." She replied. My expression must have mirrored my mind, feeling my head spin uncomfortably. I hesitated.

"Shhh… I wouldn't tell a soul, I can tell it's very personal to you. However, I think Paula already has an idea, though I can't say about Ness since you're never open to him. Now that I understand, just slightly, your actions speak louder than your words. You're very expressive when you choose to be." My sigh was staggered; cheeks still a flame, I averted my eyes annoyingly down towards my left.

"Hey…" Venus said grasping my chin softly to face me towards her. Her breath smelt faintly of musty cigarette smoke, and vanilla.

"I don't know how to phrase this, I'm sure it's hard to deal with, I can never feel what you feel, no one can, it's what makes you 'you'. But don't let the past get in the way of your dreams. Remember, in order to achieve them, you do need to communicate, weather you want to or not, it's become a necessity in life for all of us. And it's necessary to both Paula and Ness as well. Give them a chance, especially Ness. Who knows? You may discover something about him, or even yourself that you wouldn't have by keeping quiet. And whatever you have to tell him, I'm sure he'll understand." She spoke to me earnestly. I was speechless, nodding silently.

"I'll… try my best," I said breathlessly looking over to Ness and Paula again talking to The Runaway Five. Venus put her hand on my shoulder.

"Good luck. A handsome, mysterious young man like you needs it. It's too bad… you're not a few years older…" She giggled walking to the table. My cheeks burnt up again, watching her blond hair sway back and forth. It took a little while, but I eventually ventured back to the table.

I stood in front of Paula, and Ness, feeling my heart flutter for what I was about to say.

"Hey…" Paula said when she saw me. Ness's expressed empathy with a hint of anger.

"I'd… can I have some ice cream too?" I mumbled shyly, with annoyance. When I looked to the table again, Ness's last expression was erased with a big fat cheesy grin. I think he's been waiting for me to say this for the past few days.

"Okay," He spoke happily. "Stay here Paula, we'll be right back." He said before making our way towards the ice cream bar. I studied all the flavors from mint, to Neapolitan. Mocha sounded a bit too much for me at the time.

"What kinds of ice cream do you like, Jeff?" He asked. I supported my chin.

"I'm not quite sure. They only served Neapolitan back at school," I replied. "There's so many to choose from…" I must have admitted. I was at awe by the selection. Ness laughed.

"Well that's a bad selection to grow up with. To tell you the truth, this selection is _nothing_ compared to other shops." It didn't matter that much, there was so much to choose from.

"What flavor do you think I'd like?" I asked him. Ness speculated scanning the tubs.

"I dunno…" Ness looked at me again. "You kinda look like a cookies and cream type… in a way," He said finally.

"How come?" I asked. Ness looked down again.

"It's kind of hard to tell if one is more like a cookie or ice cream. I know that probably doesn't make any sense in any-"

"Is it because you don't know what to think of me?" I asked raising an eyebrow. Ness's eyebrows perked up.

"It's ok, don't look alarmed. I actually had my eye on that type anyways, I'd love some," I smiled. Ness nodded happily.

"Okay. One cookies and cream please," Ness asked the waiter. At the register, Ness held out three dollars.

"It costs three dollars for one cone of ice cream?" I asked surprised of how pricy it was. I was used to paying 50 cents back at school. But then I thought of the alternative, this was more for Ness's sake, not mine.

"It's ok, I'd like you to try some anyways," He smiled handing me my ice cream. I nodded.

"Thanks Ness," I said sheepishly, taking a lick of my ice cream. My taste buds became magnetically attached to the new, exotic flavor that was cookies and cream ice cream.

"It's delicious…" I said in awe. Ness snickered.

"Told you, you didn't believe me earlier?"

"Nah, I guess not," I chuckled shamefacedly. Ness extended his arms over his head to yawn.

"When you're done, let's head back to the hostel, I'm beat!" I nodded in response, thinking about how I wouldn't have discovered this ice cream without him.

"Really Ness, thank you," I told him. Ness spun around and smiled.

"Just ask if you need anything else." He said. I nodded. Though I wasn't sure what else I would need, at least not yet.

For the rest of the night, we, plus The Runaway Five, and Venus were the only ones left, as we talked about the performance. Venus gave Paula one last good night kiss before turning to Ness, giving him a hug. Venus finally turned to me.

"See? Don't you feel better for communicating to Ness, just slightly?" She smiled to me. I figured it was on her mind all this time.

"Yes, it really did make me feel better actually. I don't think I would have realized it without you telling me, Venus." I thanked her, as she winked.

"Now I better see you again someday, come by and hear me sing, I'd love to do an encore, _just_ for you. All you have to do is tell me." My face cringed from my blush as she gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Catch you later, tiger," She spoke flirtingly to me walking away with The Runaway Five. Ness whistled.

"You realize how many men out in the world are jealous of you right now?" Ness laughed. I rubbed my cheek, and straightened out my glasses.

"Yeah…" I spoke zoned out by the fact that I was Venus just _kissed_ me on the cheek. I don't think I had been kissed by a female; or anyone period in what seemed like _years._ Paula giggled.

"Jeff just got kissed by a pretty girl!" She laughed, tickling my side.

"Stop that!" I stuttered giggling and blushing. Besides, we gotta get going, right Ness? I must have caught Ness out of a reverie, when in a moment, he said, "Yeah of course, let's get going."

--

We got back at the hostel by 10:30 pm that night, but it seemed awfully loud upstairs. The same guy at the counter before was there when he spotted us.

"Wow, you kids are up _late_. It makes me wonder what you three are doing out there. Well, here's your key." He said handing Ness the room key, and saying good night. When we got to our floor, a bunch of the magic club members were in the hallways, drinking lemonade, possibly hard lemonade and playing card games.

"Hey you three, what's up?" One of them asked. Neither one of us replied as we rushed towards our room, unlocking the door, and shutting it behind us with a sigh. Ness crashed on his bed.

"Bed…" He mumbled in the pillow. Paula sat on the floor to let Mr. Ziggy free from her bag.

"Would you like a snack, Mr. Ziggy?" She smiled pulling out a bag of crackers in which the Mr. Saturn was excited about. I sat on my bunk, smelling my arm pit in disgust.

"I need to shower. Is that ok with you two if I use the restroom? If you need to use it, I suggest you do so." I said loosening my black tie around my neck. However, Paula stood up.

"Can I take a bath too?" Paula asked. I sighed.

"Yeah, you should use this room's bath tub. No worries, I'll just wait," I said patting her on the head. Paula smiled up to me.

"Come on, Mr. Ziggy, let's take another bath!" She squealed picking up the small sneezing creature, and heading inside. I wasn't sure why I did what I did next, but I felt as if I had to.

"Hey Paula?" I asked. Paula poked her head through the door.

"Can I… talk to you later?" I asked shamefacedly. Paula nodded slowly.

"Yeah, sure…" She said. I erased my sad smile with a satisfactory one until she closed the door behind her. I sighed, plopping down on my bunk bed and kicking off my shoes.

_"Mbeff?"_ Ness asked with his face buried in his pillow.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Though, I wasn't sure if I would answer it yet. Ness turned to his side, and faced me.

"What did Lady Venus say to you?" He asked gazing in the distance. I raised my eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Ness sat up.

"Well, how come you all the sudden asked for an ice cream?" He said. I shrugged.

"It's noth-"

"…_Give them a chance, especially Ness. Who knows? You may discover something about him, or even yourself that you wouldn't have by keeping quiet. And whatever you have to tell him, I'm sure he'll understand."_ Venus said again in my mind. Ness's eyes became filled with disappointment. I hated it when people looked at me that way…

"Alright alright… where do I start? She was basically telling me to… I dunno, be more open with myself I guess. So you and Paula can get to know me a little more. I dunno it's the way she said it that convinced me, alright?" I told him. Ness smirked.

"Did she hit on you?" Ness asked. My cheeks blushed, I was sure of it.

"Possibly, I'm not quite sure; I haven't been around girls that much in my life. It's kinda hard for me to tell when one is, you know?" I explained.

"Well, what did she say?" He asked with slight interest. _Jeez, he seemed pretty eager,_ I thought.

"Well… I remembered her saying that she liked my eyes," I said. Ness 'hmmed.'

"What's your favorite color?" He asked randomly. I frowned.

"Are you going to keep asking me questions?" I asked.

"Yes," Ness replied.

"Well it's burgundy."

"What kind of color is that?" He asked.

"It's a dark reddish color, like maroon," I said.

"Oh…" Ness replied. I chuckled.

"What's your favorite color?" I asked. Ness frowned as he leaned against the bunk railing.

"Probably a dark navy color," He replied as we heard two people talking and laughing loudly pass by our room. We then heard thuds from nearby.

"Those people are fucking annoying," I said. Ness nodded.

"They're pretty loud…" He said. I sighed again.

"Seriously Ness, why were you uncomfortable around them?" Ness hesitated from the question.

"I dunno… I guess it was just because this journey has gotten me so uptight about things that I guess I just felt a little uneasy around them. Don't worry though, Jeff, he was actually really nice to me, really." He replied. _Yeah right…_

"Jeff? You didn't talk to him harshly last night… did you?" He asked. The answer was yes, but I lied, and I didn't feel bad for it either.

"Don't worry, Ness I didn't get into any unnecessary circumstances with them," I replied once Paula opened the door from the bathroom.

"Hello," She said. "It's hot in here, you guys, Jeff open the window, I'll open the door," She said making her way towards the door. I would have stopped her, but she was already there, and once she opened it, I cringed.

Outside of our door from what I could see was Demetri, leaning casually against the wall outside, smirking down at Paula; golden tooth shimmering in the hallway light.

"Oh, hi there, Demetri," Paula smiled. _Just why was Demetri in front of our door?_

"Greetings there, Paula. I'm just checking on how things are going with you three this fine evening," He spoke nicely. "May I come in?" I would have said no, but instantly Paula spoke kindly.

"Of course," She smiled, ushering the shady magician inside; his bushy hair swaying behind his back. I inwardly shuddered.

"I heard that you trio went to go see the great Runaway Five this evening, am I right?" He smiled drifting his eyes from Paula to Ness.

"Yeah… how did you know that?" Ness asked. Demetri smiled.

"It was on the news moments ago. They interviewed The Runaway Five in the new department store that just opened a couple of nights ago. By the way, you three should check it out; they're having a wonderful sale tomorrow. I went today, but everything seemed sold out the time we got there," He explained, drifting his eyes towards me. My eyes weren't exactly glaring at him, but they were weary. For a moment, I could have sworn that he leered down at me.

"Good evening, Jeff. Sorry about my prude behavior last night. I'm not very good when it comes to meeting new people with different tastes," He smiled nicely to me, which left me confused. _Why the hell was he acting so nice all the sudden?_

"U-huh," I said with caution.

"Really, it's not often that a magician clashes with a scientist, it was a tense moment for both of us. But issues aside, I'm just glad to see that you three are doing well." Ness's eyebrow rose.

"I don't understand; are you a group that's going to perform somewhere, like the Topolla Theater?" Ness asked. Demetri shrugged.

"You could say that. In reality though… I'm actually trying to track something down," He said. "Have you three ever heard of the rumor that's looming around a place called _Jackie's Café?"_ All three of us shook our heads. Demetri took out a deck of cards, and started shoveling them.

"Well you see there's a little speculation going around that the recent people that have disappeared from the public including Mayor Monotoli has been reoccurring at that certain café. Though the reason is beyond me, there's another rumor going around that the people that recently visit the café have been acting so strangely, that the police often find them roaming the streets; ganging up on random citizens for no apparent reason. Then they even claim that they didn't even remember anything, and the last thing they usually remember is the café itself. I'm thinking of visiting the café myself tomorrow, I've noticed there was something fishy about this city when I first set my sight on it, just to warn you kids." Ness's eyes widened.

"That… does sound strange. And you're sure that Monotoli has been rumored to appear there too?" Ness asked. Demetri nodded. I frowned at Demetri.

"Why do you know so much?" I asked suspiciously. Demetri cast me a semi cold look.

"With open ears, you can find out a lot of things. Eavesdropping can be a very useful trick if I might add. And it doesn't take a _magician_ to learn it either, _scientist_," He replied smartly back. I frowned at him. _Well duh there was something fishy going on._ Demetri yawned and stretched his arms over his head.

"Well… I should be heading off to bed; I got me a long day ahead. You three kids should just relax tomorrow, go check out the department store, I hear that they have a great selection of sports goods too, you could get yourself a new cap," He said flashing Ness a smirk. Ness shook his head.

"Oh no, I couldn't get rid of this hat, even if I was forced to," Ness said holding the hat on his head. Demetri looked at Ness for a couple more moments until he shrugged.

"Suit yourself kid. I'm not _trying_ to run your life," He said standing up. For some odd reason, I took note of that last sentence.

"You three kids take care, and have a good night sleep," He said waving to us, and exiting out of the room. _Thank goodness…_

_"So Monotoli has been rumored to appear at this Jackie's Café, huh?"_ Ness thought out loud.

"Should we go check it out tomorrow?" Paula asked. "We might be able to find more information about Monotoli… Pokey… maybe even the Mani Mani statue," Paula said. Ness yawned.

"Damn it, I think that magician passed his yawn to me… yeah, we should check it out tomorrow, after we go to the department store. You could use a new outfit, Paula," Ness said. Paula's eyes lit up.

_"Finally! _These clothes still smell slightly, and my skirt is starting to fray at the edges; it won't be long until it rips completely," She laughed. Ness chuckled.

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen. Well… I'm beat… night guys," He said plopping down in bed. Paula smiled at him.

"G'night," She said.

--

I got into my pajamas, but I wasn't tired like Ness or Paula, so I decided it was another good opportunity to work on some of my broken supplies. I decided to work in the small cramped bathroom so I wouldn't have to worry so much about waking up Ness or Paula. The broken iron was almost complete, but I was shocked to find that it wasn't a gun per say, but instead it shot what looked to be slime, and it got all over the bathroom floor.

_"God damn it!" _I swore as the broken iron spilled more sappy substance on the floor. "_Who the hell would make such a useless invention anyways?" _ It was then that I heard the bathroom door open. My eyes slightly widened, as I spun around; slime covering my dirty hands and arms. At the door to my surprise and not surprise was Paula, rubbing her eyes, and holding Mr. Ziggy.

"It's 12:30, what are you doing up?" Paula asked groggily closing the door behind her. "And… just what are you doing in the bathroom?" She asked scanning me and the slime covered room skeptically. I chuckled.

"You can go back to bed Paula, I'm just trying to get this machine to work again. Though by the looks of it, I think I just wasted it. _Who would make an invention that was only good for one use anyways?" _I muttered under my breath as I resumed what I was doing. Paula shook her head.

"Mmmm… not tired enough to go to sleep. Ness is though," She yawned putting the toilet lid down to sit on it. "Besides…" Paula began. I stopped to look at her.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"You wanted to talk to me, right?" Paula asked. Oh yeah…

"Yeah actually, I really do," I replied.

"Well then, what is it?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Well… I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about what happened… Why did this 'Pokey' guy kidnap you, and why is he stalking you guys pretty much?" I could tell by the look on her face that this wasn't a very comfortable conversation to her. She fiddled with the bow on top of Mr. Ziggy's head.

"Umm… yeah, I can tell you all I know. But after I say my side of the story, can you tell me more about yourself as well?" She asked. _Dang it._ I sighed.

"Only if you answer my question first, but yes, I can tell you more about myself," I said. Paula sighed.

"Ok… well I don't know much about Pokey Minch except that he and Ness must have known each other when they were younger. I tried asking Ness about him… but every time I bring it up, he tries to veer the conversation somewhere else. All I can say is that Ness hates him for a reason I'm not sure of." _That's suspicious…_ I thought.

"So how come they kidnapped you; did it really happen before you met Ness?" I asked. Paula nodded.

"Pokey wasn't the only one that kidnapped me though… he did it with a couple other shady figures, but that was when the Mani Mani statue was back in Happy Happy Village… there was a cult; and uprising of a community that had a very strange religion. But once the Mani Mani statue was gone, everything turned back to normal somehow. We hadn't heard from Pokey since until yesterday of course… I really thought that he was just under the spell of the Mani Mani statue…" She said hugging Mr. Ziggy tighter. I frowned, putting down my wrench.

"I… want to ask you something else, but I don't want to scare you, do you mind?" I asked. Paula slowly nodded.

"I wanna know… what makes you so scared of him?" I asked. Paula drifted her eyes to the side.

"All my life… I can recognize how someone's feeling just by looking at them. But when I look at Pokey… he's the only person I noticed something that…" Paula winced, stopping in mid sentence to stare off into the distance. I averted my eyes.

"I felt like that too… when I saw him look at me the first time, it wasn't clear, but he had a strange wicked glint in his eyes for the slightest second. I don't know what else to say, but it was terrifying… No one has ever looked at me or anyone I had met like that in my entire life. His expression was so blank that it expressed everything…" I explained as best as I could. Paula shrugged.

"It's hard to explain without knowing more details, isn't it? What could fuel such a person?" Paula asked. "Ness may be the only other person that could answer that question." I frowned.

"_Yes, but we both know well enough what ruined it_," Ness growled at Pokey in my mind. I sighed.

"Enough of this 'Pokey' talk, tell me something, please?" Paula asked. _Here we go_, I thought.

"Alright then… what would you like to know?" I asked flashing a smile.

"Who's Tony?" She asked. My eyes slightly widened, but then softened. I knew it… she saw who I was writing to.

"He's my best friend back in Winters. Heck… he was my only true friend to be brutally honest. I don't think I could have a better friend than him… and in that sense, I really do miss home," I said. Paula smiled sadly.

"You don't have anywhere else to call home, do you?" She asked. It took a while, but I eventually nodded. I didn't turn my head to look at her. I couldn't speak, but the words flowed through my mind, along with the pictures.

I missed everything about what I would call home. I could smell of pine trees and the blistering cold that left my nose pink every time I walked out into the snowy hillsides that was Winters. Spending a half an hour everyday afterschool with Maxwell didn't become a chore like I first thought it would. I could remember my classmates; eyeing me with jealousy whenever it came to subjects such as science and math. I could remember Tony right then, his tawny eyes would bright up every time he spotted me; I was sure that mine did the same. I remembered when we were young we would build our own creations in the snow, and we often destroyed them; laughing in the process. He was the only one that knew how to make me laugh; to truly smile. He was the extra shoulders I could lean on when I was too weak to walk. He was the only person I truly trusted… ever…

"_Yet you still came to help us…" _ Paula spoke softly ringing me out of the depths of my memories. I looked over to her with open eyes as her beautiful deep sapphire ones gazed into mine. Paula said nothing as she walked out of the room. At first I thought she was mad, and that made me somewhat loath in self pity. But I was surprised once more when she returned quietly; she held what looked like a pendant in her hands.

"I've been meaning to give this to either you or Ness… I decided since Ness has my Franklin Badge… keep this safe, okay?" She said handing me a small golden pendant with a garnet inside. I was incredulous.

"What is it? Don't you want to keep it?" I asked. Paula shook her head. Her face looked sad and reddened.

"It's a flame pendant. I don't need it; I really want you to keep it… as an apology present for dragging you in this terrible mess…" She spoke softly. Did her voice crack?

"Paula… I don't need it, why don't you keep it?" I asked. Paula shook her head faster. Oh no…

"_Please keep it for me, Jeff…"_ Paula spoke, voice cracking in the process. I was tentative, until Paula took my hand by surprise, and placed the pendant in my palm. I gazed at her wide eyed in awe. She looked like she wanted to cry. _I was hoping that I wouldn't make her cry damn it…_

"_Paula, you don't have to give this to me, especially if you want to keep it for yourself…"_ I spoke softly. Yet again, Paula shook her head swiftly.

"It's not that… I just feel guilty," She said rubbing her eyes. I raised my eyebrows. I knelt down to her level.

"_Guilty?_ Paula, I understand completely that you needed someone to help you two, there's no need to…" It was useless. By the time I could explain myself, she was already sniffing, not sobbing, but it was obvious that she was crying

"_I'm so sorry… it's my fault you can't get back home…" _She spoke.

"_Paula…"_ Both of us were silent for what seemed like moments. _Just what could help her cheer up? _I thought. I sighed.

"I'm still happy that you did what you did… after all, I wouldn't have discovered some things if it wasn't for you calling out to me that night…" Paula finally looked at me, I was sure, though I looked down to my supplies.

"If it wasn't for you… I wouldn't have discovered the things that I would have never found back in Winters. Whether they were good or bad; and besides… if you didn't call me that night… I would have never gone up against my deepest fear…" Paula's eyes were finally open wide, revealing those mystical sapphire eyes she owned. It seemed as if she wanted me to continue with more though.

"I also wouldn't have made any new friends either. Especially one that was a girl, like you," I chuckled. Paula's cheeks seemed to redden, though it was partly from the fact that she had been crying.

"_Are you saying that…?"_ I smiled to her.

"You're the first one," I chuckled. "And I wouldn't have discovered that, no matter how happy or miserable I was back in Winters." I explained. Paula finally smiled. I could only offer the same to her.

"_So… you'll stay with us?"_ The question reminded me of the conversation Ness and I had on the bus. Apparently he wasn't the only one that dwelled on it. Why should they?

"It'll take more than a couple of overgrown moles and a creepy guy such as Pokey to get rid of me," I said in all honestly. Paula's eyes lit up again. I flinched when she quickly shot forward to wrap her arms around me in an embrace. It took a moment for me to register, but I soon returned the gesture.

"_Thank you for helping us… you have no idea what this means to us…"_ She spoke to me in my ear before I could have sworn I felt a pair of lips touch the side of my freckled cheek. I flushed again, the fact that I was kissed _twice_ that same night. Paula let go of me, and flashed me a cheeky grin as she took the pendant out of my hand, and put it around my neck. As I fiddled with it, Paula picked up Mr. Ziggy, who was sticking his nose in the slime on the floor left from the slime generator. I managed to smile while yawning.

"_No Paula… I should be the one thanking you…"_ I said. Paula looked up to me again; in a state of awe from what I told her. I smiled; stretching out my spine.

"I'm tired. We really should head off to bed, it's already one in the morning," I said. However Paula waited for me as I put my tools away, and helped cleaned up the mess.

"Jeff?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"… You'll have no idea how happy Ness will be if you help us," She finally said.

--

When we finally got out of the bathroom, I practically let myself fall on my bunk as Paula climbed to the one above us. I yawned; taking my glasses off in the process, and laying them on my stuff. My hands went to take off the pendant she put on, but I then decided not to. Before I crawled under the covers, I took one last look over to the bunk that Ness was sleeping in. Now that I thought of it, I could have sworn that I heard some noise in this room. I wondered…

Did Ness eavesdrop though our conversation?


	10. Fear

_**A/N:**_ Thanks again to KuroTenshiYuki , and babyangel22 for the reviews/messages on ! Cx

And thank you Orkidee, and luhtoaster101 for the compliments on DA! :D

Alright, so _**a lot**_ of things happen in this chapter. Things really start to get more serious than the previous chapters. There are two new character introductions in this chapter, one of them you may or may not be surprised about. :I And to warn you about the very ending… something big is revealed from Jeff.

It should be pretty obvious though if you paid enough attention.

And of course, according to the game, we all have to say goodbye to a certain someone temporarily. :C

And the next two chapters will be a little darker, so beware of that as well. This chapter is longer than the rest because… you'll find out. So ya…

And to warn you again... please, _not everything in this fic is completely canon._

Hope you guys enjoy chapter 10!

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX

_The oldest visual memory I can recall is a picture of my mother and father; kissing under what looked like the mistletoe at Christmas time. It is the oldest visual, and it's been stuck in the back of my mind, as if someone hammered my skull with a white hot, sharp nail, making me bleed. I don't remember how old I was, but I was young enough to believe that we would grow up to be one of the many humble, happy families that inhabited this world. It was only a couple years later that it would all change…_

_…Oh what a twisted fate it was…_

"_I need to talk to you about something…" My father told my mother one dark fine evening. I don't think I've ever heard father sound so serious; he was usually apathetic, busy or unfocused; but that night he seemed to be a completely different man. I had a cold then, and I lay on the couch, wrapped in my sheep print wool blanket that I kept for years after. My eyes were closed, but my ears stayed open._

"_What is it?" My mother was curious; eager of what father had to tell her. I didn't think they had such an intense conversation before. My father's sigh was staggered._

"…_I'm at the end of the line here…" He spoke. _

"_What do you mean? They couldn't fire you, you're one of their top scientists, how-"_

"_It has nothing to do with the job…" He said. "I'm sure you know as well as me by now though…" There was a moment of silence. I could see mother giving him the most skeptical look I had ever seen. He rested his forehead in his palms when he finally spoke. It was the most horrified voice I had ever heard escape from his lips._

"_Something horrible will happen to this planet in approximately 20 years." _

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 10 Fear_

_XxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxXxxxxX_

My eyes shot open silently, shaking once I realized I was awake. My eyes roamed the bottom of the top bunk wildly, scanning all the graffiti; maybe the right words. It didn't matter… _there was no explanation, no excuse…_

"What about breakfast, Ness?" I heard Paula ask.

"We'll just get some at the department store. I kinda feel bad taking the clubs food without asking," Ness replied. I yawned, sitting up, and stretching out. Why was I always the last one to wake up?

"Morning, guys" I said shaking my head, slipping on my glasses. To my surprise when my vision was clear, Paula had already sat on my lap to give me a morning hug.

"Morning, Jeff!" Paula giggled; putting Mr. Ziggy on my lap, in response sneezed. "Can you watch him as I get dressed in the bathroom?" I nodded. Paula got up, and headed in the restroom. I checked my watch, which read 8:07. My eyes drifted down to the small creature that was a Mr. Saturn, whose big fat nose was roaming my lap, and sniffing the blanket. _Wait, was he sniffing my groin?_ Embarrassed by the sudden thought, I picked the now bewildered creature, and set it on the floor. Brining my bare feet on the thin dirty carpet, my eyes drifted to a rather silent Ness, sitting on the edge of his bed, rummaging through his back pack to pull out a spare black tee. He seemed out of it for some reason…

"You alright?" I asked feeling my voice soften. Ness looked up at me, blue eyes open, but tired.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said quietly as he tugged off his striped shirt over his head.

"Do you need privacy while you change?" I asked turning my eyes to the opposite side of the room immediately. Ness sighed.

"Nah, you're right. _We're both guys after all._ And you're my friend, so I don't mind too much," He said. However, when I did look to him, his cheeks looked rather flushed, as if he tried to ignore my presence, grabbing his black shirt, and pulling it on over his head. He combed his hair with his fingers.

"How are you?" He finally asked.

"Oh me? I'm ok so far…" I said.

"That's good." He spoke in a sad monotone voice, surprisingly stuffing his cap inside his back pack. "As you probably already know, we're gonna check out the department store this morning, Paula needs a new dress, or clothes at the least. Do you mind?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Nah, I'm cool with that," I replied. Ness sighed. He looked upset.

"We're gonna leave as soon as you and Paula are ready." He said lying back down on his bed. I wondered why he seemed so troubled. Paula walked out of the bathroom with a smile on her face.

"I'm done" She said picking Mr. Ziggy up off the floor. I complied, grabbing my clothes, and walking in the bathroom. I looked in my reflection as I noticed my glasses became out of line again. I straightened them, grumbling to myself. Thoughts of the previous night kept flooding back to me. The concert… The Runaway Five_, _me and Paula's conversation, _Venus.._. I took off my glasses to re- a line them.

_"I noticed how many times tonight that you had to adjust your glasses. On first glance, it makes you look like a klutz. Though, when I was able to see your face without them for the first time, I realized that you're really a handsome young man."_ Venus spoke flirtingly to me in my memories. I blushed grumpily, slipping back on my glasses again. _Yeah, right…_

After changing into my outfit, I walked out of the bathroom, rubbing my head yawning.

"You ready?" Paula asked me, putting Mr. Ziggy in her bag. I nodded, scratching at my eyes.

"Yeah, whenever you guys are." Paula and I glanced over to Ness, who looked like he was day dreaming.

"Ness?" Paula asked. Ness snapped out of his reverie, sitting up. Something obviously was on his mind, and it was bothering him greatly.

"We're ready whenever you are." She smiled. Ness nodded silently, flashing Paula a faint smile before ruffling her hair softly. When he looked up to me however, he took a second longer, before breaking eye contact. He seemed sad every time he looked at me for some reason.

"Let's get going…" He spoke softly as we headed out of our room.

--

When we were heading down stairs, I was appalled to see two of Demetri's friends walk up the stairs towards us, talking, and laughing about something. When they spotted us; more so when they saw Ness and Paula, they started snickering to each other. One of them was about to say something until I slipped pass, guarding Ness and Paula. I didn't miss how their smiles became replaced with disgust. Both of them snorted, as they made their way pass us.

"I guess we'll be staying here another night, if that's alright with you," I told the manager at the counter, handing him the hostel key.

"Like I said, you three kids take your time, there's no rush," he replied taking the keys. "You need the room more than most of the people here anyways. It's the least I can do." I nodded sincerely, facing Paula, and Ness, who was on the phone with his father.

"Yeah… I'm sure, I'm fine, Dad, you don't have to worry…" He spoke into the phone. Though I was pretty sure his dad knew better. I didn't understand how he was drunk that night; he seemed like a very intelligent man over the phone when I talked to him. Was there any possibility that he wasn't drunk? Maybe he had been possessed by a ghost as well as I was.

"Paula's fine. Oh… he's been doing alright, I think. He doesn't talk much about himself, but I think he's okay… don't worry, I promise, I'm fine… _sigh… _alright Dad, thanks for the cash… ok, I will… love you, bye." He spoke quietly in the phone. Ness let off a hefty sigh.

"Dad worries too much. Oh well…" He said shrugging. Paula frowned.

"You should be proud he worries. It means he cares about you." Paula told Ness. Ness sighed.

"I know… it's just, I don't want them to worry about me _too_ much. Besides, I'm sure things will turn out decently in the end." Ness replied making his way towards the door.

"Are you sure?" She asked. Ness didn't respond as he walked out of the hostel.

"Something's wrong with him…" Paula said. I grabbed her hand.

"Come on, Paula, we shouldn't let Ness wander off on his own," I told her shaking my head as we headed out of the hostel.

--

It was a cloudy sky that day, and I could have sworn it sprinkled once and a while. When we caught up with Ness, he was already waiting at the crosswalk. We stood silently next to one another until the crosswalk was free to pass. I hesitated at first; I didn't want to make him mad or anything. But when I was about to speak up, we all heard someone saying Ness's name from afar.

"_Hey, Ness, Paula!"_ A bushy man hollered waving his arms in the air from the distance. I saw Ness's semi wide eyed expression as he muttered, _"Everdred?"_ When the man caught up, he looked to be in his mid thirties. Everdred was a plump, average sized man overall. He looked to be a mix between Italian and Jamaican; his long black curly hair covered nearly his entire back, and his big pink nose twitched above his cheesy mustache. His business hat didn't flow right with his bright orange Hawaiian shirt and pants, and he seemed to be carrying a sneaky looking bag over his shoulder. The round black glasses concealed his eyes from the public. My first impression of him was vague when it came down to personality, especially when he spoke his next sentence.

"Almost didn't recognize you with the black shirt. Hey there, Paula, I still apologize greatly for last time, I could never accept your forgiveness," He said flashing Paula a smile.

"Hello yourself, Everdred; and don't worry, it's over with now, we can forget about it." Paula said. Everdred shrugged.

"So Ness, what'cha do with the bundle of bucks I gave you?" He asked with odd interest. Ness suddenly fumbled with the question nervously.

"We… kinda blew it off to get The Runaway Five out of their debt….?" He spoke tentatively. Everdred raised his eyebrow.

"_Rrrriiiiiight._ So you blew off ten thousand dollars to get some joke of a band out of their debt?" He asked, raising his voice in a darker tone. Ness ducked his head gulping. A moment later, Everdred sighed.

"Suit yourself kid, it was your money after all. So, who's the new, neat looking kid? He wouldn't have any bang for my buck, would he?" He asked lifting his glasses as he observed me with his black irises. I felt my back stiffen as he scanned me. Ness glanced at me after frowning at Everdred.

"You'll make him nervous! Jeff, this is Everdred, he's-"

"Don't tell him my identity kid," Everdred spoke suddenly. I flashed Ness a daunting look. Ness shivered.

"Right… I won't. Jeff, meet… ummm… Everdred." I slightly raised my hand until Everdred took it by surprise.

"Nice ta meet'cha. What's with the perplexed expression Jeff, didn't scare ya off, did I?" He spoke to me.

"N-No, of course not. It's just, what can _I_ offer to get you money?" I asked. Everdred shrugged.

"It's nothing. I'm just heading to the market to set up a booth, s'on the other side of town. Got a lot a goods 'ere to blow off fer money. So were you three heading? You should check out the museum, heard they got some dinosaur bones there." He said starting to snicker to himself. Ness frowned crossing his arms.

"We're just heading towards the department store, that's all," Ness replied.

"Oh, you mean the new one that just opened up? I heard it did well on its opening night. Nonetheless, have fun there; never know what bargain you can run into. Oh, by the way, the day after tomorrow; morning… let's say around 9:30, meet me at Jackie's Café, there's something I need to talk to you about." Everdred asked. "Breakfast will be on me, I'll be expecting you there, so if you're going to bail, let me know ahead of time, ayte? Oh, and if you do go, and you manage to get there before me, ask for the mafia seat!" He said walking away. Ness looked bewildered. _Jackie's café eh?_

"Where's that?" Ness asked.

"Get to central park. It's further down the street," Everdred said waving his hand up as he walked away. Ness sighed.

"I hope he's not stirring up trouble like the last time," Ness spoke grumpily shoving his hands in his pockets as we walked off again. "Sorry if he seemed odd to you, he's just some guy we met a while back." I grunted in reply keeping note.

--

"There it is," Paula said pointing to the grand opening banner across the entrance from afar. The store happened to be, and was oddly across the way from the Monotoli building. Looking up at the windows high up, Pokey Minch was nowhere in sight.

"Free cheese sample?" A lady asked us. Ness and Paula took samples of their own. I declined the offer as we headed in. Right off the bat, the place was packed with shoppers and tourists. It was bigger than any store I had been in to be exact, it even had an upstairs!

"Huh, this is Foursides idea of a department store? It looks more like a mall to me," Ness commented.

"I've heard of malls, but I've never actually been in one before," I replied looking around the spacious building. Ness nodded.

"I need to go to the ATM machine first," Ness said making his way towards the machine in the corner. As me and Paula waited for him to withdraw some cash, I saw a mouse scurrying about. What was strange was that the mouse came to a sudden complete halt, and looked up at the ceiling. It stayed in that position until Ness was ready.

"Alright, let's get some breakfast first, I guess," He said.

--

We got ourselves greasy fast food from the breakfast menu in the hamburger stand in the corner of the food court. We claimed the table that was next to the window. Paula managed to sneak a few bites in her bag for Mr. Ziggy. I silently munched on my bagel sandwich, while Ness merely picked at his own food. I kept my eyes glued to a door on the other side of the food court. The sign on the door announced "**No person's under 15 years of age allowed.**"

"Huh, I wonder what's in there," I asked pointing to the door. Ness looked over his shoulder.

"I dunno… probably alcohol or something…" Ness automatically assumed. I gave him a skeptical look.

"You have to be_ 21 years or older _to drink legally, nonetheless the privilege to purchase it, Ness," I said. Ness sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," He mumbled; resting his chin on the table.

"It says on the door that you have to be fifteen. You can't purchase alcohol at the age of fifteen," Paula said. Ness snorted.

"Who cares? It's not like me and you could go in there anyways," Ness replied. I studied the posters around the door. My eyes went wide.

_"They sell bottle rockets…"_ I said in awe. It was a good thing; I had already run out of my supply.

"What's a bottle rocket by the way, Jeff? Are those the things you've been firing at our enemies all this time?" Paula asked sipping her orange juice.

"Well yeah… it's just basically a miniature rocket, the size of a bottle," I explained.

_"That's a great description, Jeff,"_ Ness snickered. I frowned.

"Well… that's kinda what it is," I said.

"It's alright. You really know how to use 'em, don't you? I mean… they did some massive damage to Master Belch and the Trillionage Sprout back there," Ness said. "Is it easy to fire one?" He asked. I shrugged.

"For me it is, I guess. A lot of the folks back at my school had some trouble. You just need a good concept of dimensionality and the space around you in order to pull it off well enough," I explained.

"Wow, so do you know how to use other things like that?" Paula asked. I chuckled.

"That's kind of a vague question there, Paula. But to answer it, yeah probably," I replied.

"Maybe you could teach me and Ness sometime, it'd be cool to learn how to be like you in combat," Paula smiled.

"I wouldn't mind teaching you guys someday," I replied. When I looked down to Paula again, her eyes seemed glued to Ness. I looked over to find Ness's eyes seemingly wide in horror; staring off into the distance.

"Ness?" Paula asked; looking in the direction he was looking in, though it seems that she couldn't pin point what he was gapping at.

"Ness, what's wrong?" I asked. Ness quickly took his backpack off to bury his face in it.

_"Don't let him see me… don't let him see meeeeee…" _He whined in his back pack.

_"Huh?"_ Paula and I spoke in unison. When I looked over again, all I could see was a small crowd of five. Though I had to admit… they rather did stick out in public. First off, they all had this punk 'biker' look to them. Though it was strange, it seemed like their leader was only a kid… maybe older than Paula, but definitely younger than Ness and I. He wore a black leather jacket, and dark jeans. His blond hair was parted to the side, almost like an emo cut. The shirt he wore was all black, except it was labeled with a faded letter 'M', almost as if it was advertising the band _'Metallica.'_ There was a cocky, almost egotistical vibe to him, as he talked to what looked like a vicious looking body guard, as if he was communicating with one of his own peers. Whoever this kid was, he seemed to have a lot of power. They headed towards the door we had talked about, three of them waited outside, but the kid and the body guard got in with no problem. I raised my eyebrow.

"That's strange… that kid was definitely younger than fifteen…" I said.

_"Is he gone yet?"_ Ness asked, face still hidden.

"Yeah, they're gone… I don't understand, Ness who are those people?" Ness lifted his head, and shook it.

"I dunno who he was with… but holly crap, I didn't recognize him at first!" Ness said before taking another big bite of his breakfast burrito.

_"Well? Who was he?"_ Paula asked sipping her juice. Ness hesitated with the question.

"It's just… umm… hey, Paula, you need a new outfit! Let's go, _**now,**__"_ Ness said standing up immediately to grab Paula's arm.

"Uhh… okay," Paula spoke awkwardly. Before they could leave, I halted Ness by grabbing his shoulder.

"Ness, wait," I said. Ness spun around almost instantly.

_"What?"_ Ness spoke nervously. I sighed. I hated asking stuff like this.

"Can I borrow some money-" Almost instantly, Ness shoved two one hundred dollar bills in my hands.

_"Yeay yeah, go get your bottle rockets, we'll be upstairs,"_ He said instantaneously before taking Paula's hand, and pacing off. I stood there in confusion. _Apparently that kid was bad news somehow…_

--

So I entered the door that only let my age and older in. Inside, there were a lot of boxes everywhere with warfare items. The glass counters consisted of lighters, knives, swords, guns, rifles… _Jeez, it was almost like a black market…_ When I spotted my beloved bottle rockets, they were behind the counter. There was a sign there that claimed that one had to be 21 years old, and own a license in order to purchase the merchandise behind the counter. _Shit… did I even bring my firearm license? _

"I want that lighter… that knife… and that gun, please," The same kid from before asked the man at the counter. He crossed his arms.

_"Aren't you too young to carry a firearm, kid? In fact, aren't you too young to even be in this store?"_ He asked.

_"Aren't you old enough to know not to pick on kids half your size?"_ The kid asked back.

"No, no kid, you're too young, _**get out,**_" He said. It was then that his so called body guard stood up tall, almost towering over the guy behind the counter. He seemed to flash him a card. However he didn't seem fazed. My eyes went wide from what the man at the counter said next.

"Monotoli, eh? Fine, you can buy the lighter and the knife, but I _**won't**_ sell you the gun, got that?" The kid frowned.

"Deal…" He muttered handing him cold hard cash. Seriously, couldn't the employee just call security on these guys? Either that or this place was kind of fishy… _And what did that kid have to do with Monotoli? Did he have something to do with… _

_Was he related to Pokey Minch in any way?_

When I caught another glimpse of the kid when he walk passed me, we made eye contact. He frowned, but when he looked away, I saw a smug smirk form on his lips. My mouth curved down as I saw them both exit. I walked up to the counter then.

"Who the hell does that kid think he is? Probably just wants to carry the crap around for status, and doesn't realize the responsibility that goes with it. Oh well… if he burns himself with that lighter, it's his fault," He ranted. "Sorry kid, what can I get you?" He asked me. I knew what I was about to order would shock him.

"Yeah, I'd just like to buy some bottle rockets, please," I said handing him the two hundred bucks that Ness lugged around. However the guy raised his eyebrow. He wasn't buying it.

"You have to be 21 years or older in order to purchase those. You don't look like you're 21, kid, in fact you look younger than 18. You can buy the other stuff though," He said. I rummaged through my bag.

"You should look at that sign more carefully," I told him.

_"Excuse me?"_ He asked. I pointed to the sign.

"Sure being 21 years old is a requirement to hold firearms, but that's not _the_ requirement," I told him. The guy 'hmmed.'

_"And you're telling me that you have a firearm's license?"_ He asked. I pulled out what I was looking for. _Thank goodness…_

"Yeah, pretty much," I said, showing him the fine sheet of slick plastic. It took a moment for it to register; he took the license in his hand. His eyes went wide.

_"Sid, come look at this…"_ He spoke seriously. Another man carrying boxes walked over.

"What is it?" He said looking at the license with him.

_**"This kid is only 15, and this is his legal firearms license!"**_ He said. I chuckled.

"Studying rocketry in school does wonders, neh?" I grinned.

_"Scan it through the computer,"_ He said handing the card to the other while he slid the card through. I wasn't sure what came up on that computer, but my grin grew as they gawked at the screen.

_"I don't believe it…_ Alright sir, how'd you get this legally?" He asked.

"Well, I don't really come from around here, I came from Winters, its-"

"Did you go to Snow Wood Boarding School?" He asked. "Don't you kids have an intense science and ROTC program up there?"

"Well, yeah, why?" I asked. They looked at each other.

_"Maxwell…"_ They said in unison. "Alright kid, I guess you win. How many will you be buying?" He asked putting the license on the counter. I cheered inwardly.

"I'll take three regular sized and one big one please," I asked. They still kept gawking at me. _It's not that amazing, jeez,_ I thought. They put the merchandise on the counter.

"Is that all for you, sir?" He asked. I actually speculated for a second.

"Actually, how much for that hyper beam up there?" I asked pointing to the one on display.

"You won't have enough with two hundred bucks if you want all these bottle rockets as well," They replied. I sighed.

"Alright then… my eyes trailed around the counter, until I found a neat looking knife. It had to have been stainless steel, but it was cheap price nonetheless.

"I'll take that knife as well," I asked. The man nodded.

"Alright, will that be it for you?" He asked. I nodded, handing him the cash, and stuffing my new belongings in my bag. I was soon on my way, as they told me to have a nice day in a very monotone manner. However, I couldn't knock what the man at the counter had told his co worker out of my mind when I left.

_"Hey, Sid… did you get a glimpse of his last name?"_

_--_

I scanned the food court, and the escalators, Ness and Paula nowhere in sight. Didn't he say to meet them on the next floor? So when I stepped on the traveling steps, the lights in the store flickered. It got everyone's attention around me for the slightest bit, but they soon resumed with what they were doing. I looked up at the ceiling. It was strange… I could have sworn that the hanging lights swayed side to side. Once I got up, I forgot all about the random moment. Still… they were nowhere in sight, but I did noticed an apparel store, so I walked in there.

Right off the bat, this place was a mad house, consisting mostly of teenage girls shopping for the latest styles and mothers shopping for their family. Clothes littered the floors everywhere; apparently they were having a huge sale. As I searched though the aisles, for any sign, it came to me, as I quickly saw Ness pace passed one of the aisles.

"Ness?" I asked. Ness took a huge step back to find me down the aisle, eyes widening when he rushed up to me.

_"Jeff, I lost Paula!"_ Ness panicked. My jaw fell.

"You _lost_ her? How could you lose her, she was the only one you were with!" I remarked.

"She said she would be in the fitting rooms, but then when I checked there, they told me that she already left to go find me!" He replied. I shook my head. _Ness, you buffoon,_ I thought.

"Well she wouldn't just walk out of the store without you, would she?" I asked crossing my arms.

"I dunno, probably not," He replied.

"Why didn't you just wait in front of the fitting rooms for her, where did you go?" I asked. Ness looked around him.

"I was kinda… hiding," He replied. I let off a hefty sigh.

"Ness, _who are you trying to hide from?_ Does he have to do with Pokey Minch or not?" When I said that, Ness flinched with the question. Obviously the answer was yes.

"I know, let's split up! You go that way, and I'll check this way!" He said already running off.

_"Ness, you didn't answer my question!"_ I hollered to him. But it was no use.

"Damn it Ness, you idiot," I cursed under my breath, walking the other way. I eventually made my way towards the fitting rooms he must have talked about.

"A little girl with blond hair and a pink dress you say? I think she went in that general direction," The lady at the fitting rooms told me. I thanked her and was on my way. I couldn't believe how many people were here, it made everything more difficult. I didn't understand, you'd think it would be easy to spot a young girl in a bright pink poof dress?

About what seemed like several minutes later, I could have sworn I faintly heard her voice; it sounded like she was talking to someone.

"A boy with black hair and a black shirt you say? I think I saw one heading towards the fitting rooms a little while ago, why, are you looking for him?" A random lady asked.

"Yeah, he's my older brother," Paula must have lied to her. "He must have gotten distracted from something like he always does," Paula said. I snickered to myself as I tried approaching them, but was cut off by a huge crowd of people. _Damn it!_

"Well, okay ma'am, I'll check there again, thank you," Paula said. When the crowd disappeared, I saw Paula walking away from me down the aisle. I tried picking up my feet.

_"Paula, wait!,"_ I called, almost tripping over something on the floor that someone obviously was too lazy to put away. However, my eyes widened when I saw, and heard Paula bump into someone. But it wasn't just anyone, _it was that kid…_ Though it was strange this time, he was alone now.

"Ahh…" Paula took a step back in embarrassment, bringing her hands to herself. The kid was apathetic of the situation, as he looked down at Paula blankly. Did his mouth curve up slightly?

"You should be careful, this place is pretty crowded," He spoke in a nice tone. Paula just stared at him nodding in response. I was finally able to reach them.

"Paula, I finally caught up to you," I said. For some reason, I could have sworn that the boy's visible gray eye became more open. He must have recognized me from the firearms shop. I frowned at this.

"Alright kid, Paula didn't mean to bump into you. However, I want to know, why were you in that shop downstairs?" The boy's mouth curved up again.

I was just doing some errands for someone I know, why?" It was then I heard Ness's voice from afar, loud, and aggravated.

_"__**Picky**__, what the hell are you doing here?!"_ Ness questioned when he caught up to us. Picky seemed to recognize Ness right off the bat, but nonetheless, he didn't look surprised.

"Ahh, hey Ness. What are _you_ doing here all the way in Fourside yourself?" Picky asked crossing his arms. Ness balled up his fists.

"It's none of your concern. Seriously though, do you live in Fourside now or what? And why is your older brother subbing for the mayor?!" Ness questioned. _So Picky was Pokey's younger brother, _I thought. Picky shrugged.

"Well _technically,_ I don't live here; mom and I still reside in Onett. It's dad that landed the big promotion, and he decided to bring Pokey with him instead of me. I dunno what my dad does for a living yet though; I'm just here for the weekend. It's pretty nice, with the Monotoli guards; I can practically get anything I want!" He smiled. Ness skeptically nodded.

_"Alright then…_ but really Picky, what's with the new look?" Ness asked. Picky looked down at his leather jacket, and dark jeans.

"I've always wanted a leather jacket," He said. I sighed.

"Picky… _why did you go into the weapon's shop?_" I asked him. Picky drifted his visible eye to me.

"Like I said, I can get whatever I want with the body guard by my side," He replied.

"Well he isn't here now. And besides, you weren't eligible to purchase that _gun_, now were you?" I said. Ness's eyes widened.

_"You tried to buy a __**gun**__?! What for?!"_ Ness questioned. Picky waved his hands in front of him.

"It wasn't for me, honestly!" He replied. _Yeah right…_ It was then what it looked like one of his guards approaching us.

"Is there a problem?" He asked Picky and the rest of us. Picky shook his head vigorously.

"No, no, there's no problem! Let's get out of here, catch the others; and we'll go to Todd's house to play Mortal Kombat," He told him as they immediately left us. _"Guess I'll smell 'ya later, Ness." _Ness growled.

_**"Picky!**__"_ Ness said. However, Picky was already lost in the crowd.

_"Why didn't you tell me earlier, that he attempted to purchase a __**gun?!**_" Ness questioned me.

_"Well, it should have rung a bell during breakfast when he entered the damn store in the first place, Ness! But apparently you had your face buried the whole time that you didn't notice!"_ I replied irately.

_"In the situation we're in right now, Pokey could have been using him to spy on us!"_ Ness shot back. Fuck, that could have been true, but it didn't matter.

_"Why the hell are you blaming me; I didn't know his connection with Pokey until now! You kept your mouth sealed all this time!"_ I stated.

_"Guys guys, stop fighting, will you?!"_ Paula ordered. Both of us halted. When we looked down at us, she looked back up with her daunting weary eyes.

"It doesn't matter; he's gone now! Besides, he's not anyone you particularly hate, is he, Ness?" Paula asked. It took a moment of registration, but Ness shrugged.

"I guess… but I don't understand, Picky was the normal one of their family, and now he's out wearing black leather jackets and trying to buy guns. Was there anything else that he bought there, Jeff?" Ness asked.

"Just a lighter and a knife," I replied. Ness let off a hefty sigh.

"I hope he's not getting himself involved in this too…" He said walking away. "We got a few more stops; then we'll check out Jackie's Café, alright?" He told us. We followed. I looked down to Paula, who seemed a little uneasy.

"You alright?" I asked her. Paula nodded, but kept her gaze straight. I wondered what she was thinking of…

--

"Would you like to exchange your bat with this one? We can pay for it too," The man at the counter asked. Ness handed him his broken in half bat that he was able to stuff in his bag. That was odd; they accepted a broken bat… In return, Ness received a nice sturdy, metal bat. That was going to hurt when he'd swing it in the future.

"Thanks. Paula, do you want a new teddy bear?" Ness asked. Paula still seemed spaced out. She soon shook her head and said 'no thank you.' Ness nodded.

"You guys tell me if you need anything else along the way out," He said. However, we were off after that.

I spotted a nice protractor in a display window along the way out, but since I already had one, I didn't ask Ness for money. At the second set of escalators we went down, there were three people that were in such a hurry that they actually walked down, and squeezed passed us without excusing themselves. I glared at them for their rude behavior, but it was when the last person scurried passed us that Ness seemed to lose balance. My eyes went wide, and it was only my quick reflex that kept him from making a nasty topple down the moving steps. Ness must have been caught by surprise when he grabbed not only the moving rail, but my sleeve as well.

"Ahh… sorry," He said in hesitation. I complied, only letting go once he caught his balance again. I didn't say anything back; I was still a little ticked off about before. Ness seemed a little bit more flustered once we got off.

--

When we got to the ATM machine again, I could have sworn the lights flickered again. But this time, Paula noticed it as well; she still looked very uneasy. The faster we get out of here I figured, the better.

"Alright, so I got my money in the bank again, so I guess we're off again…" Ness told us. I nodded, but Paula was still looking anxiously around us.

"Paula, what's wrong?" Ness asked almost immediately. In a moment, Paula grabbed her head, and shook it.

_"No no… I don't know you… I won't go with you…"_ She spoke softly. A horrid Ness and I looked at each other. Was she getting a telepathic message from someone?

_"We need to go,"_ Ness said immediately, grabbing Paula's arm, as we paced out of the store.

_**"NO, I WON'T GO WITH YOU!!"**_ She shouted to herself. We were almost there…

_SHOONK__**! CRASH! BANG!**_

_It happened so fast…_

We must have been distracted from all the lights shutting off at once. And the fact that everyone in the store screamed and tried to rush out of the store all at once didn't help all that much either. We ended up getting caught in the stampede, but when it was clear, I saw Ness, desperately searching around him panicking.

Paula was nowhere in sight.

"_Paula's gone… she's gone; someone took her!"_ Ness panicked. Before I could say anything, there was a strange voice over the intercom.

"_Ness… Ness… report to the office at the top floor… Ness… gyork!!"_ The voice choked. Ness looked at me, irises wide. He was speechless… every time he tried to say something it would always come out in gibberish.

"We… should…" Apparently I wasn't better off.

"_Ness… report to the office at the top floor if you want to see your precious Paula again… Ness…"_ It said again. Ness still couldn't move from his spot.

"We… have to get her… before… something…" Ness looked at me, and I nodded back. We both paced up the escalators without a second thought.

We were halted in our steps when we were confronted by what looked like a walking record disc and a guitar. It looked as if the merchandise was brought to life… but how? The guitar suddenly lit up, and shot what looked like lightning in the air. Nonetheless, it missed both of us, but it didn't stop us from flinching. The disc tried to tackle into one of us. You'd think that its attempts would be pathetic, but in fact, it was enough to knock me off my feet. I gasped as I fell down.

"You alright?!" Ness asked immediately, taking out his bat, and swinging it forcefully at the disc. He managed to make it crack, but for some reason, its cracks faded almost instantly.

"_They know how to use PSI as well?!"_ Ness questioned. As I tried standing again, the guitar tried another lightning attack, and I could feel it this time; the stinging sensation traveled up and down my spine and my skin. I cried in pain, for what seemed like moments but was only a second. It was then that Ness jumped in front of me; I could see the lightning surrounding his body. My eyes went wide.

"_Are you trying to get yourself killed, or-" _The lightning shot right back at the guitar, making it shatter in the process. The disc tried taking Ness down during this, so I pulled out my gun. It took multiple shots to take it down, only because my laser gun started to malfunction on its own. At least it was enough to take the possessed disc down. Both of us panted; I was still jittery from the mental and physical shock.

"_How did you do that?!"_ I asked Ness turning to face him. He looked as if he had run a marathon, when we only walked up a flight of escalators. Ness took off his back pack, and grabbed out his red cap. When he flipped it out, he rested his finger on what looked to be a badge, sitting on the rim. There was a picture of a lightning bolt on it. It read "_The Franklin Badge_."

"Paula gave this to me a while back. I don't know how many times this simple item saved my life. It reflects everything electrical back at whoever cast it." He spoke putting his cap on top of his head. I nodded blankly. There were so many questions I had to ask, but now wasn't the time.

"Let's hurry," I replied.

Upstairs was no better. Instead of living guitars and records, we ran into two rather odd looking cups of what looked like hot coffee. It started splattering it everywhere. _God, what the fuck was this world coming to?_ Ness yelped and hissed as one of the mugs decided to splash Ness, his skin must have burned from the contact. Ness shot one of his special PSI powers at both of them, while I could only fire my gun at them. When I got splashed by their coffee, for some reason, it didn't burn as much. Was it because I was wearing the flame pendant? Ness swung his bat at one of the mugs. It splashed coffee everywhere, but it was defeated nonetheless. However, when I saw the other mug about to toss more boiling hot liquid on Ness, I dashed in front of him just in time, and got drenched instead.

"_Jeff?!"_ He questioned as I shot the mug multiple times. It was enough for the pitiful being to stop moving. I squeezed my clothes as dry as I could, and flashed Ness a soft smirk. His anxious face had a look that was crossed with worry and anger. Ness placed his palms on himself in a gesture to heal himself. In a matter of moments, his skin wasn't red anymore. We started to pace again.

"I'm alright, see?" I spoke flashing him the pendant that Paula gave me. Ness grunted in positive response before we approached the door.

"_Ness… Neeesssss….. GYORK GYORK!!"_

--

I couldn't believe my eyes when we finally stepped into that dark room.

It was monstrous to say at the least; green and slimy with several tentacles wrapping around the desk, chair, everything. It had three eyes, two sticking above its head, and floating around like a hermit crab, and one bigger glowing red eye, plastered across its face like a Cyclops. Its vicious wide toothed grin looked permanent, as if it could smile for the rest of its life.

"_I've been waiting to finally meet you… Ness…"_ We were both unresponsive, gapping at the creature before us. Casting Ness a sideways glance, he looked horrified; stiff as his wide eyes were glued to the creature.

"_Certainly the world doesn't depend on such a timid young boy like yourself?"_ It sneered at him. Ness could only gulp as one of its tentacles wrapped around a telephone that sat on the desk.

"_Why the horrid look? I'm sure you've seen more like me. Besides, there's far __**worse**__ to come in the future…"_It spoke as it hurled the telephone to the space by us. Ness and I flinched in fear.

"_You should get used to others seeking ones such as yourself… that way, you'll be able to predict these things in the future, and prevent horrible… but beautiful things from happening… GYORK!" _It said. Ness's voice was small; I could barely hear it.

"_Where's Paula…"_ Ness muttered. The creature tilted its head in question, though its grin was still spread on its strange face.

"_What was that?"_ It asked. Ness gulped.

"_**Where is Paula?"**_ Ness questioned, voice still shaken up. The creature laughed at us in its high pitched, mutated howl.

"_You'll have to beat me in order to find out,"_ It grunted, while wrapping its tentacles around the chair. Our eyes went wide, but none of us seemed to move. It hurled it at us, and I was all the sudden pushed down to the ground by Ness. **Slam** went the chair, against the door. The creature let off a brain shocking screech. Both of us covered our ears.

"_I'll distract it… you set up a bottle rocket to fire at the beast!"_ Ness ordered. There was no arguing in this situation; I felt more welcome to. Ness quickly got to his feet, and dashed to the other side of the room; the spook of the store's eyes following him. Its eyes glowed again, as it tried breaking apart the desk itself. All the sudden, a laser of what looked like fire shot from his eye. It just barely missed him.

"_I'll make sure I kill you both…GYORK!"_ It grinned as it snapped the desk in half. Ness put out his hands.

"_Jeff, close your eyes!"_ Ness yelled as I was temporarily blind by a flash. Squinting, I dug through my bag to grab out one of my newer bottle rockets. I un-wrapped the object, and with fumbling hands, I set it up, as quick and carefully as possible. I flinched when I heard Ness yelp in pain. I snapped my eyes up, and saw the boy being choked by the monster, tentacle wrapping around his neck. I pulled out my gun swiftly to aim at the eye on its forehead.

"_Let him go!"_ I yelled firing my gun. Except only after three shots, the gun stopped working. I growled in frustration. I was lucky though; Ness was able to unleash another one of his special abilities, which made the creature stumble backwards. Ness caressed his neck with his hands, and started to cough. My eyes were wide.

"_Ness, are you alright?!"_ I asked. Ness kept coughing, but managed to choke out some words.

"_Set up the rocket…" _He uttered. I was tentative; wanting to help him instead, but I put all my trust in him, and nodded slowly, putting my focus back on the rocket I was constructing for launch. I arranged the rocket around as best as I could, pointing it towards the spook. I reached for my matches, which seemed like long moments, as I was aware of the brutal brawl Ness was in. I cringed when I heard Ness yelp in pain. _I felt useless…_ Ness yelped again, but this time I was startled the fact that Ness hurled into me, ruining the set up bottle rocket in the process. My head knocked against the wall pretty damn hard, but I think Ness had it harder. Ness groaned as he got off of me; hissing when he tried standing up.

"_Oh no…"_ Ness said noticing the knocked down bottle rocket. _"I didn't mean to…"_

"_GYARK GYARK GYARK!! Just stay put so I can pull off every single one of your limbs, Ness!" _It spoke tauntingly, hurling part of the desk at us; sharp edges in the part that he tore.

_Oh shit…_ I couldn't forgive Ness for what he did next. While we were helpless on the floor, immediately, Ness grabbed me, and shielded me as best as possible. But it wasn't any use… the desk still hurled at us, and both of us felt the amazing impact that paralyzed us both temporarily. The creature laughed humiliatingly. When I could finally open my eyes again, I felt something wet against my cheek. Brining a hand to caress it, I found my blood on my fingertips. Ness was shuddering, and panting harshly next to me, I think he tried brining one of his hands to the side of his stomach. I didn't know how harsh the wound was at that time…

"_Jeff… fire the rocket, please…"_ He begged as I could see a tear collect in his eye. I pushed the desk part off of us, but I was shocked when the spook managed to grab a hold of Ness again, by the ankle.

"_Oh no… I won't let you use life up on yourself; I'll only just suck away the power you have left!" _It hissed at him. Ness hissed again as it seemingly stared into him, eyes glowing in the process. I snapped back to my business, setting the stand back up… _couldn't they make an easier bottle rocket for combat or something?_ I lit the match, set it a spark, and it launched towards the beast. Sparks flew everywhere when it struck it. I ran up to Ness, who was panting on the ground, holding his lower side.

"_**Ness, what happened; are you going to be okay?!**__"_ I asked kneeling down to him; not truly aware of the scenario. Ness hissed, as he tried to stand. _He seemed very weak…_ The spook laughed again.

"_This will only take a moment,"_ It sneered, picking up the other half of the table.

_OH GOD..._

Ness immediately, the fastest he could, reached for his bat, and tossed it at the beast, as forcefully as he could manage. The beast held its three eyed head in pain, screeching in the process. I quickly dashed to my bag to reach for my second bottle rocket to set up.

"_Ness, __**don't move alright?"**_ I ordered. However, Ness was unresponsive, as he dropped to his knees again. _Shit_, I thought. I lit the second bottle rocket, right when he was about to make a move to toss the desk towards Ness. I swiftly got out my knife that I bought, and threw it at the creature.

"_HEY! Eyes over here buddy!!"_ I yelled sarcastically at the thing. The knife wasn't able to stab it, but I suspected that it cut it at least, according to when it rubbed at the certain spot where the knife hit. The creature let off another hiss when the bottle rocket finally let off, making another explosion of sparks. I ran to Ness's side again to shield him like he did for me. When the smoke started to reside, the room was silent, except for Ness's harsh breathing pattern. I looked down to him, his head was hung low. I could hear grunts in the back ground…

"Jeff… help me up… I have to ask it something…" Ness breathed. I silently complied, grabbing a hold of Ness's shoulders, and helping him up to his feet. He still held that spot; it must have taken him a moment to collect the right words. The beast lay, twitching its tentacles, and squinting; its three eyes in pain. Its grin however, was still plastered.

"_Alright, we beat you… now please, __**where are you keeping Paula?!**__"_ Ness asked. There were tears collected in his eyes, both from the emotion behind his words, and the wound that he tried hiding from me oh so well. The spook choked, as it weakly flailed on the floor.

"_Ghak… ghyarg… Paula… is with… someone else…"_ It spoke. Ness hissed.

"_And who may that be?"_ Ness asked. The spook weakly chuckled.

"_It's no use… you don't know where he is… no one knows where he is… she's with him… Monotoli…"_ It uttered. Ness's eyes widened.

"_**Please, tell me that she's alright!"**_ Ness panicked. The spook could only weakly chuckle more.

"_She… won't be… if you don't do a thing…"_ It spoke before disappearing slowly from our eyes. When he was fully gone, Ness brought blood covered hands to his forehead.

"_Paula… Paula, I'm so sorry…"_ Ness started to cry. My eyes hardened.

"Ness… Monotoli?" I asked, until I trailed my eyes to the huge dark blood stain that kept growing. My eyes went wide when Ness collapsed to his knees.

"_**NESS!"**_ I panicked now. Ness winced as he tried brining his hands to his wounds in an attempt to heal it, but nothing happened.

"_I… don't have any more PSI…"_ Ness managed to say. His head started to sway back and forth. My hands were shaking when he lifted his shirt to reveal a huge gash through his skin.

"_**Oh my god… Ness we need to get you to a hospital now!"**_ I spoke feeling my voice shake. Ness was unresponsive.

"_You're… Ness… you're losing too much blood…"_ I mumbled. Ness grunted weakly. My entire being went in shock.

_**Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god…**_ I panicked in my mind. _**What do I do?!**_

"_Jeff… Paula…"_ Ness mumbled. _**Fuck.**_ I took off my overcoat, and tied it tightly around Ness's waist as best as I could. It would have to do for a moment to keep the blood in. I pulled on my bag, and gathered everything in the room that was ours. Ness sat on the floor weakly, wheezing softly. I rushed back to his side.

"Ness, we have to get out of here. I know you're weak right now, but you need to put at least a quarter of your effort in if we plan to get moving anytime soon," I told him calmly. It took a moment, and I hardened my gaze until he nodded, taking a hold of my grip as I help his wobbly knees up. We took baby steps as we walked out of that room, and down the first set of still escalators.

Even if he was able to walk at this point still, most of his body weight leaned on my shoulders. It frightened me both the fact that he was in critical condition, and I was his only ticket to get to the hospital. I was sure the blood was drenching my school coat very well, and soon possibly my white shirt I was wearing as well. We were silent when we finally walked out of that department. All this extra weight was starting to exhaust me.

The first thing that came to my mind when we finally stepped out in the late afternoon was that there were no cops, no ambulance, no fire trucks… nothing. In fact… no one was even around the department store, at all. _Why didn't I notice this before?!_ I was starting to believe in Demetri's suspicions.

Something very strange was going on with this city…

Ness almost fell, but I kept him up as best as I could, his breath harsh on the side of my neck. It started to send shivers down my spine. We spotted a taxi that passed by. I waved my hand as best as I could. I was lucky, for he stopped. When he let us in, right off the bat, I could tell that there was still something strange. But it didn't matter now; I had to get Ness to the hospital as quickly as possible.

"Where to, young man?" he asked. He looked rather pale… almost blue, and he didn't seem to acknowledge Ness's condition.

"_Please, we need to get to the hospital right now…"_ I told him. He looked at us strangely, nodding in the process.

"Alright then. It'll be ten bucks though," He told me. Fuck, I thought. I helped Ness into the car as gently as possible, keeping myself from getting too angry with the scenario. I rummaged through Ness's back pack. Thank goodness, I found enough to get us through. On the ride there, Ness kept swaying his head with the car. I tugged at his shirt.

"Just hold on a little longer… I promise I'll get you the treatment you need…" I told him. It was the least I could do… in return for him protecting me in battle not once but twice. His face was so pale… he looked like he could have been dying. My heart beat rapidly when he weakly drifted his eyes to mine. I couldn't read them…

"_Jeff…"_ He barely whispered. I winced.

"_Yes?"_ I asked. Ness closed his eyes. _Oh no…_

"Well, here we are… Foursides hospital," The man told us. I opened the door immediately, even while he was still moving. I dragged Ness and his stuff out of the car. The taxi drove off without a second thought. In the position we were in, Ness rested his head against the nook of my neck. I could have blushed, but then he seemed lifeless.

"_NESS, PLEASE, JUST HOLD ON!!"_ I ordered, feeling tears collect in the corners of my eyes. _Please don't die_, I thought. I was about to actually try to carry him in myself, but the nurse must have heard my panicked voice from inside.

"What happened sir?" She asked concerned.

"_**YES! PLEASE, SAVE HIM!!" **_ I panicked, trembling with Ness in my arms. She took a good look at him.

"I'm going to ask you to calm down. Now please, help me set him on the ground gently," She told me. I nodded, as we both lay Ness on the concrete side walk pavement, passerby's casting us odd glances. She un-wrapped my drenched coat; revealing the gash in his skin to the open fumed contaminated air.

"Eww… he's gonna need a few stitches… this isn't good," She spoke into her walky talky; asking for an emergency bed.

"Do you know how much blood he's lost?" She asked. I wasn't sure myself…

"It was obviously enough to knock him out like this…" I replied semi harshly. The woman looked like she was going to say something back, but instead we were distracted by the intrusion of the emergency bed. They all talked among each other. My eyes glued to the lifeless Ness on the ground while they gently picked him up and onto the bed, hooking him up with the breathing and fluid devices. We walked in together at first, but when we hit the emergency doors, they refused to let me in. I watched my only companion left being hauled off into emergency. Sure he'd be alright… right? I felt a tear stray from my eye…

_Silly me… why was I crying?_

--

It must have been hours in that waiting room. It was probably dark outside by then. The doctor told me that I could visit Ness in the morning once I got their permission. I sighed… _boy did I hate waiting… _ I sat there, leaning forward in my chair, hands supporting my forehead, and concealing my weeping eyes. _I'm crying like the baby I was all those years ago… I haven't changed a bit…_ I thought to myself. I was worthless- compared to Paula, Ness… on this journey, I was nothing…

_Why couldn't I do something to prevent him from getting hurt… this was how he must have felt every time he saw Paula get hurt before I tagged along…_

How did it all even start? We tried scurrying out of there once we were aware of Paula's strange behavior. _Was that creature the one speaking to her? Just what happened to her?_

It was still an incomplete puzzle in my part, but it was no wonder why Ness worried so much about her… about his friends. He must have figured back with the spook that he could heal both of us… he didn't realize that the creature could suck his power away.

What was PSI? How do Ness and Paula know how to use it, why do they use it, and for what purpose? _What was the purpose of me tagging along? Wasn't I just some ordinary fuck with only a high GPA, and a firearm's license? There were plenty of other smart kids… probably smarter than me… so why was __**I**__ the one to tag along?_

Was it because I was the son of that damn Dr. Andonuts? Why didn't they just ask for that jerk instead of me…?

_"There's no point in arguing with a friend- especially if they're going to help me save more people than I'll ever meet." _Ness spoke into my mind…

Was that why he risked his life for mine… because he thought of me as a friend…? What exactly planned to threaten our kind? And why was Ness… Paula… me… why were we the only ones to stop it?

_And why did that Pokey Minch… why was he bothering Ness and Paula so much? Especially Ness… did he have something to do with the future destruction of our planet?_ _Was he the neighbor… that made Ness feel uncomfortable? He must have been… _I was starting to think obscure thoughts.

_"Thank you for helping us… you have no idea what this means to us…"_ Paula spoke next in my memories. She was right… I had no idea what all this meant to them… I don't think I ever would. My thoughts trailed to last night at the ice cream parlor.

_"It's ok, I'd like you to try some anyways," Ness smiled handing me my ice cream. I nodded._

_"Thanks Ness," I said sheepishly, taking a lick of my ice cream. My taste buds became magnetically attached to the new, exotic flavor that was cookies and cream ice cream._

_"It's delicious…" I said in awe. Ness snickered._

_"Told you, you didn't believe me earlier?"_

_"Nah, I guess not," I chuckled shamefacedly. Ness extended his arms over his head to yawn._

_"When you're done, let's head back to the hostel, I'm beat!" I nodded in response, thinking about how I wouldn't have discovered this ice cream without him._

_"Really Ness, thank you," I told him. Ness spun around and smiled._

_"Just ask if you need anything else."_ I thought back to the parlor shop where Venus forced me to push all my shyness aside. I remembered the smile Ness gave to me that evening… I drifted my eyes to my blood stained coat.

Come to think of it… that was the biggest smile I had ever seen on Ness's face…

_"… You'll have no idea how happy Ness will be if you help us,"_ Paula had said later that night. _Why? How the fuck was I so special in all this?!_

All I could think about for some reason… was that damn goofy grin and his smiling eyes. Did Tony ever smile like that? _Could I ever smile like that?_ I growled in frustration.

I was sick of this. All I wanted was to live a normal _god damn life_. Who would have thought that it would have ended up like this? Who else was in the scenario I was in? _I wanted to scream to the world…_ I miss the boarding school… I miss my piles of homework, Maxwell, Tony…

I miss home… my home I had all those years ago. The home where my mother raised me… taught me to walk, speak, I missed her embrace, her smell, her touch, her voice as she sung me a lullaby. It was the only thing I could ever have that was closest to a home… the only one I admitted to myself loving… craving…

So why did I torture myself… longing for the thing that I could never have again?

_Wasn't __**I**__ the one that shattered such a beautiful thing?_

I didn't remember falling asleep that night…

--

"…Jeff? Jeff, are you there…?" Her voice spoke into my mind… my dreams. I was in a dark void of nothingness.

"Jeff… if you can hear me… it's Paula… I've been trying to contact you and Ness…" She echoed. I raced my eyes around the darkness I was confined in.

_"P… Paula?"_ I asked dumbstruck.

"Jeff… if you can hear me… don't fear… I'm fine. But I'll be waiting for you two to find me…" She spoke. I shouted in my mind.

_"Paula, you need to tell me where you are!"_ I asked. There was a pause. I winced from the silence.

"All you need to do is follow my voice… you'll find me that way…" She spoke again.

"_**Paula, please!"**_ I said. She cut me off.

_"In the meantime… please take care of Ness… each other…"_ Her words made me feel more lost than ever.

_**"PAULA!!"**_ I screamed pulling my hair in the darkness. It was no use… _I wasn't like them…_ she couldn't hear me.

--

I felt someone touch my shoulder gently once my eyes fluttered open in the morning. It felt uncomfortable, sleeping on three chairs as a bed in the lobby. My head hurt from the dream… was it a dream?

"Are you Jeff? With patient Ness?" The nurse asked. She bolted me out of my reverie, as I snapped my weak eyes up to her. She looked tired with a hint of empathy. My heart skipped a beat. I sat up, gazing at her. I was afraid of the look on her face… whatever it meant.

_"Don't tell me that… Ness…"_ I uttered. The nurse chuckled slightly.

"You look like you're having a panic attack there young man… yes, he's doing fine now, he's recovering smoother than most of the other customers, and he's gotten some good rest. At this rate, he may be healed completely five days or so," She smiled to me. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I let off a hefty sigh.

"Are there any other injuries I should know about?" I asked. The nurse shook her head.

"He just lost so much blood that he lost consciousness. Though, when we got more fluid back into his system, he started whimpering for his mother. He also mumbled something about a 'Paula.' But then… he repeated your name over and over. He kept asking if you were still there with him, and he kept saying sorry. One of us had to pretend we were you to keep him from getting too upset," She explained. I gawked at her.

"And now…?" I asked.

"He's awake now if you want to see him. I have to warn you though… he isn't talking much now. But I'm sure he'd like to see you," She said sympathetically. I nodded standing up, rubbing my dry tears away.

"Yes please… take me to his room," I asked her.

--

The nurse opened the soft sun lit room for me. I thanked her, and walked right in. I winced as I passed by the first hospital bed. A man; in a full body cast, had his leg extended out, and was footless. I knew it was possible to lose a limb, but it was the first time I witnessed it with my own eyes. I parted the curtain, leading over to Ness's side of the hospital room. I squinted from the light shining through the window.

There he was, lying on the bed; the soft white light seemed to make his skin glow. However, Ness's eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling, until I approached the side of his bed. He was hooked to a couple of necessary wires. His eyes; that seemed to sparkle from the sun light drifted to mine again. Still… it was hard for me to read them.

"…_Jeff?"_ Ness asked; lips apart. I sat in the chair besides him. My face softened, as I attempted to smile calmly at him.

"Are you coming to?" I asked. Ness took a moment to respond, nodding slowly.

"I don't understand… did you carry me all the way here?" He asked looking around the room. My mouth curved down.

"Well… more like dragged your ass here, but yeah, pretty much," I replied chuckling. Ness rested his head against the pillow, closing his eyes.

"I… Paula spoke to me last night…" Ness admitted. "…She told me that she was fine now… that she can wait for us to find her," He told me. I was silent, but my eyes must have expressed more.

"She… spoke to me too, Ness," I replied. I was guessing that it wasn't a dream after all.

"_Jeff…"_ He asked again. I sighed.

"I dunno… hopefully she'll be fine…" I replied. Ness looked at his palms. "I'm so weak right now…" Ness muttered. I frowned.

"Don't say that… you'll get better before you know it… I'm sure," I told him. Ness sighed. He continued.

"I'm such a weirdo, aren't I? That spook even said itself… how can the world depend on such a timid boy such as me…? I even felt myself cower when we ran into Picky today… I still consider him a friend…" He started to say. He looked deep in thought, as if he was trying to discover a lost part of himself. "You and Paula probably think the same of me… to a certain extent." My frown deepened.

"No…" I began to say. Ness cast his eyes to mine. I didn't realize until I started speaking that I was about to pour out my inner emotions like a pitcher. Was it too much to say now… or was it better to keep it bottled away?

"You're the opposite of what you think you are… if anyone's a coward, it's me," I finally admitted wincing. Ness's irises widened.

"Jeff? No…" I continued, running my fingers through my messy, possibly blood coated hair.

"Nah… see, you actually have the decency to admit what you fear the most… I can't even do that… I still haven't to this day. At least I've never told anyone. Ness… I honestly thought that you were going to die…" I spoke. Ness shook his head. He seemed at loss with words. I continued to ramble.

"Lady Venus once told me… that I needed to communicate… in order for me to reach my goals… she said it was a necessity for all of us. Maybe that's why I haven't accomplished anything with my life. But it seems like every… _fucking time_ I come close… some freak occurrence happens, and I have to abandon everything I've worked so hard on…" I ranted under my breath. Ness winced from my sudden spurt of anger.

_"Jeff…? What are you trying to say?"_ He asked. I sighed aggravatingly. Even I wasn't sure where this rambling was going to lead… somewhere different I suppose.

"When I first saw the department store spook… I was _petrified_. My mind went blank while you fought bravely… only for the sake of Paula's safety. There were some times, back in boarding school; that I couldn't stick up for some of my friends… simply because of the hurtful words the bullies threw at me… But to face something such as that… you're not a coward Ness… you're brave." I finally said, looking up to his wide eyed expression.

"…So you've bottled that in… for all this time?" Ness finally spoke bewilderedly. My eyes cast down.

"You're not the only one that's afraid… I'm scared shitless now from what the future could hold for us. I don't want to see you or Paula hurt either… after all, you two are my friends, right?" I said. Ness still looked surprised, nodding in agreement.

"Until I find all eight locations… I'll be as lost as you are in this journey. So… better be lost with someone then alone, right?" Ness smiled softly. It was my turn to gawk at him. His eyes softened, but beneath them, they looked hurt for some reason. I felt myself blush as I cast my eyes down.

"Yeah… we'll be lost together…" I replied, brining a hand to caress my forehead. _Just what was it about his eyes that kept me from looking at him for too long?_

"You seemed grumpy yesterday morning… care to talk about it?" I asked. Ness 'hmmed.'

"I just wonder who, and where Monotoli is," Ness finally said. "I wonder if he really does go to Jackie's Café', just like Demetri said. Well… I hope we can go there by tomorrow morning…" Ness replied. "I wonder if there's any connection between him and the Mani Mani statue…" It was when he said that; that a certain realization washed through. I had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what I was about to ask.

"Ness… you may not like this… but may I ask you a personal question…?" Ness's eyes widened. He seemed to shy away.

"Like… like what?" He asked timidly. I sighed.

"Well… what exactly makes you fear Pokey Minch? You two used to be best friends… at least that's what he said," I finally said. His eyes widened. He turned his head in the opposite direction huffily. _I knew he wouldn't…_ _if Paula couldn't knock it out of him, there was no chance that I could,_ I thought. There was a long moment of silence. When he finally broke the ice, I caught my breath. It was far from what I had expected… and it strayed from the conversation. It was enough to shutter my entire being… it was a topic I had avoided for most of my life. _Someone finally asked it…_

"If you really want to know… may I ask what happened to your mother?" He finally said. My eyes widened in fear. My mind went numb.

_I… couldn't possibly tell him…_ My hands started to tremble. I think Ness took note. The thing was… I _really _wanted to know… I had a feeling… I felt myself breaking apart in the scene. I remembered… it was all flashing back to me. My mother cradled me… sung me a lullaby that I fell asleep peacefully to.

_It was a strange being… tall, robotic, and it stood taller than even some of the trucks in the neighborhood. I disobeyed mother that night… all I wanted was to finish my creation in the sand box. It must have looked down at me when it started to make these weird sounds. There was nothing else like it… I assumed it was one of father's creations. My mother was screaming my name…_ _it happened so fast…_

I clenched my forehead in fear; agony… why was I about to say what I feared to say? My breath shook, as I felt tears streaming from my eyes. I tugged my hair, squinting, I finally let it out in a strangled, low voice. I finally said it… Ness was the only other person I spoke these words to. I was sure Ness widened his eyes.

_"It's because of me… that she's dead."_


	11. Pokey Minch

_A/N: Thanks again to kuroTenshiYuki and Orkidee, and Sashie for the nice reviews on DA! And thank you again, The Leander, for reviewing chapter 9, and 10, as well as BabyAngel22! :D And of course, thank you, NetusVersatus for the very thoughtful reviews! X3 I'm so happy you're enjoying this fic! _

_Haha, and thank you DanMat6288 for reviewing XD I never thought you were reading this too! (you've been so quiet XD) And if you see this, Thank you, Sanity-Challenged, for liking what you've read so far! XD_

_Oh, and I am sorry for making you almost cry with the ending of the last chapter, Orkidee XD_

_(Sigh) Sorry this took a while… I've been pretty busy and exhausted, juggling a bunch of things at once. I'm not halting this fic, not by a long shot. Though__,__ updates probably won't be as frequent as I want them to, just because of school in general. I may make updates once every two weeks if I have to. (it'll make it easier for me) :( Plus it can give others to catch up if they're lagging in some of the earlier chapters!  
_

Anyhow… this is _**the**_ chapter I've been waiting to write for awhile now. It's kind of a plot twister. I'm not gonna say anything ahead of time, except that this chapter _could_ be hitting the surface of a rated 'M' fic. Nothing graphic happens between anyone, but this chapter will touch a couple of topics that may make some readers uncomfortable… what the heck am I saying? If you're reading this, then I'm sure you won't be bothered. XD The intro is broken up throughout this chapter, because I didn't want it to get too long in the beginning, and stuff like that! :O

One more warning: Pokey's personality… umm… it's different from maybe other people's perspectives… maybe not? Oh well…

Oh, and Sashie, in case if you're wondering, this chapter was planned ever since I started this fic. XD

Okay… without further ado, hope you enjoy this chapter!

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

It was silent in the hospital room. Maybe the guy next door was asleep. _I finally said it,_ I thought. _Ness knows my almighty secret…_ I sat down in the chair besides him, still hiding my pitiful face from him. Maybe now, he'd fear me. I started to panic in my mind. _What if it wasn't worth telling him after all? He's not saying anything… _Though after what seemed like moments… centuries, Ness made a sound.

_"She... she's… dead?"_ Ness managed to whisper. I was unresponsive vocally, but the silence, I was sure, convinced him all the while. My eyes were smothered in my glasses and clenched palms; I tried concealing my face from the world… Still… I couldn't speak. I didn't understand… Venus told me that I would feel better… yet here I was, feeling more alone than ever.

_"Jeff…"_ Ness spoke again. I let off a strangled sigh.

_"How could I have any idea? I was only four years old when it happened. I can't say that I remember everything vividly… it happened so fast…"_

_Going back to the night when he spoke to my mother so seriously… he foresaw horrible things happening… just not as soon as we thought._

_"So… it really will happen…" My mother spoke without question, it always confused me why. Father sighed. There was a huge moment of silence. I don't remember completely falling asleep that night. Just what was happening?_

_"Whatever you do… keep Jeff in your sight as much as possible."_

_About six months later… It was late afternoon. It would have been one of my best childhood days if it wasn't for that night. But earlier, mom and I spent the majority of the day together; she took me to the park that afternoon. The sun was beautiful that day._

_After I played on everything else, such as the swings and the jungle gym, I was crafting something in the sand box. I guess it looked like a fire rocket of some sort. I wasn't even sure what I was doing, but at the time it made perfect sense. I didn't miss how surprised my mom was; her beautiful golden locks blew in the breeze, and framed her freckled face. _

_"Jeff, how long did it take you to make this?" My mom asked as she put her book down. By the time, there were a couple of kids gapping at my sand creation._

_"I dunno…" I replied innocently. It made me slightly nervous, as she walked around and observed, humming to herself._

_"Have you been snooping around in daddy's books again?" She asked. The truth was yes, but I covered the truth slightly._

_"By accident," I replied. "I don't understand mom, why isn't daddy ever with us?" My mother took the question into personal matters, I was sure. Mom smiled down to me._

_"He's just always busy with his work. Though if he could actually see this, I'm sure he'd be very impressed," She smiled. I could feel my grin steadily forming across my face. I could always impress Mom, but to be able to impress my dad... I had to finish it and show him somehow. It was starting to get late. My mom checked her watch._

_"Well, we should head back home now Jeff. How about I make you some macaroni and cheese?" She smiled. I loved mac and cheese, but I still frowned. Mom frowned herself._

_"What's wrong?" She asked. I pondered about._

_"I wanna show Daddy the sandbox..." I said. My mother speculated at first, but then she seemed to form an idea._

_"We can show him after dinner, how does that sound?" She promised thumbing my nose. My mouth curved up. Mom always knew how to make me smile... I took her hand without a second thought._

_---_

_"I'm busy right now. I can see it tomorrow, can't I?" My father asked down in the basement, working on a so called invention. Mother gave him a skeptical, but ticked off look._

_"Well why not tonight before it gets too dark? It won't take long. Besides, Jeff wants to show you something," She said. My father finally paused, and glanced at me._

_"Does he really?" He said flashing me a faint smile. However, Mom became a little hostile._

_"Yes he does, and he will. __**Tonight**__**,**__" She stated. Father sighed and returned to his work. My mother growled in frustration, taking my hand, and dragging me upstairs._

_"I'll be upstairs in a few," He said. Mom shook her head._

_"More like five hours. Old geezer as always," Mom muttered. But I looked back at my dad. He looked at me. He had a sympathetic glint in his eyes. I could have sworn he said these words, but for future sakes, I pushed it to the edge of my mind._

_"I'm so sorry..."_

_---_

_At the dinner table, I had just finished my meal while mom was half way though hers. I was eager, fidgeting nervously, still waiting for him. I thought to myself, I would finally impress him again... After ten more minutes, he still didn't show up. My mom sighed._

_"Stay __**right**__ here Jeff, I need to talk to your father," she said before descending down in the basement. So I sat there... waiting like I always did._

_I hated waiting... _

_I heard them quarrel downstairs again. It was never over the top, but I rather got annoyed with it all. I hated it when my parents fought. **Absolutely hated it...** I started to cover my ears when my mother started to sound more irate. _

_**At this rate,** I thought, **we'll never get to the park before it was too dark...**_

_"We can't go out, not now, we have no idea what will happen! Let's just wait until the morning!" My father said._

_"Tomorrow to you is **five years**! Our boy has been waiting to spend some time with you for almost a half a year now! We don't even know enough, yet you're always down here working on your inventions as if it's going to happen tomorrow!" My mom quarreled back. I walked towards the basement door, and looked downstairs in the lit room. I couldn't see them, but I heard them crystal clear._

_"If you want proof, then go find **him!"** He said. The conversation was starting to touch a subject I still didn't understand, even to this day. Who was father talking about? Surely it wasn't me. My mom was silent for a moment._

_"He disappeared! How can we even contact him?!" She asked. My father sighed._

_"Out of all the people, I'm sure **you** could," He replied almost haughtily._

_**I had it**. I was going to go to the park by myself. My evenings were like this a lot anyways. I never really understood why. **But I'll make him see... I'll make them come find me in the park...** I left a note on the table..._

_"Please come find me in the park once you two stop fighting," I wrote._

_I was so young and naive then... why did I go all by myself?_

_I unlocked the door from the inside to find that the sun was just starting to disappear. My sense of direction was sharp, especially for my age. Sometimes, I could even help mom find her way around. The park was only past a couple blocks, I thought. They'd come and find me as soon as they saw I was gone..._

_... right?_

_The park was completely empty that evening. My eyes lit up once I spotted the sand box, the sand rocket, untouched. I made my way over, fixing it up for presentation. I wrote with my fingers in the sand: "To Dad and Mom, From Jeff." It was then I listened as the breeze blew my ears. I looked around me... worried._

_I was all by myself..._

_No, mom and dad are home, which was close by..._

_I was alone..._

_They're fighting... but they're close by..._

_Lonely... quiet..._

_Mom... Dad... they'll come soon..._

_Silence..._

_They'll notice I'm gone, won't they? Mom will... she'll come..._

_It was dark... I started to shiver._

_Dad, you love me... right?_

_There were shadows and sounds... _

_Dad..._

_I wasn't alone..._

_I turned around. My eyes went wide._

_It was tall, and stood completely still like a statue. I didn't understand, it wasn't there standing before... was it? I was still. I wasn't shocked, or anything, just puzzled. It looked chromatic; robotic in a sense. Its body looked smooth and metallic, and it stood like a human. It had no fingers, no toes, and it seemed to have buttons on the side of its chest. It almost looked like an astronaut..._

_Why was there a really tall astronaut in the park?_

_I wasn't sure how long we stood there, just staring at each other. I nearly jumped when it started to make a low humming sound. It got louder... My being was in shock, especially when it twitched... In an unsettle movement, it lifted its arm, in a gesture to point at me. The humming became loud and noticeable, and a beam of some sort formed on its extended arm. I wasn't sure, but I could have sworn I heard footsteps behind us. The tip of its arm started glowing at a rapid pace. **Why couldn't I move?** I started to shiver. The humming sound started to crescendo. I was so scared..._

_**Mom... Dad... where are you? Who is this strange man?** The beam glowed white, my eyes were temporarily blind._

_**"JEFF!!!"** I heard my mother scream before I was lost in the white void of nothingness..._

_---_

_On and off... I was only half conscious as I heard people, all around me, and my dad screaming his lungs out in the background. I tried opening my eyes, but the voice told me that everything would be alright... that I would be okay..._

_Who was that strange man? What about mom? Where was she? What about Dad...? When I cast my tired, droopy eyes towards my father's voice, I saw him in a state of rage._

_He was thrashing his feet all over my creation in the sandbox..._

XxxxXxxxxXxxxxXxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 11 Pokey Minch_

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxX

I shuttered from the reality of it all. _I finally broke down…_ Tears streamed down my face right in front of Ness. I was uncontrollable.

"_Jeff..."_ Ness managed to say, just barely.

_"And that __**damn bastard**__ still won't talk to me... after all these years..."_ I sobbed. Ness was silent. I refused to see thought, so I was unaware of what his expression was like, or what he was doing.

_"Jeff...I..."_ He uttered. I continued.

_"I know it was my fault. I could never forgive myself... Sometimes I wish I could torture myself for what happened back then... I'm pretty sure __**he**__ wouldn't mind..."_ I continued.

_"Jeff..."_

_"And you know what? That's perfectly fucking fine, he doesn't need me; I don't need him. We're the perfect example of-"_

My eyes widened when I felt Ness grab my arm to pull me down into an embrace. I froze in time as his arms wrapped around my shoulders, weakly, but as firm as he could manage. He seemed to wobble at first, but it didn't stop him. It was silent from then on; I didn't pull away for some reason. Instead, my trembling hands made their way around his waist. I let off a strangled sigh, resting my chin on his shoulder, and closing my eyes. It reminded me of the night I left, when Tony tackled me and hugged me in the locker room. Though unlike Tony, Ness didn't cling... he didn't make me feel so confined in the embrace. Was this how Paula hugged Ness when he was sad? _The last time I was actually hugged like this... no, I was never held like this... ever,_ I thought. My tears still streamed down my cheeks. Sooner than I thought... sooner than I may have actually wanted, Ness pulled away with a shiver. When I saw his face again, he looked worry some to say the least. But there was something else. Fear? Maybe... but why?

"I'm sorry..." I said without realizing. Ness finally looked at me. The once smiling eyes were gone; misplaced by something that didn't belong. I was used to this look, but still... they didn't belong on his face for some reason.

"What?" Ness asked. I hung my head low.

"...It's my fault you're in this condition... and here I am, crying like the baby I am about my stupid past. You didn't need to hear it..."

"Jeff..." Ness said again, dumbstruck. I sighed. There was the awkward silence again.

"...Even if I didn't want or need to hear it... you needed to say it, right?" Ness finally said. I widened my eyes again, looking back up at him. His smile was faint, but visible. It was at this moment, that we were interrupted. The irony of it all.

"Oh... I didn't think that his visitor was still here. I'm so sorry, but we need to tend to Ness right now. You can come back in a half an hour for a little bit if you'd like," The nurse spoke. I hardened my eyes to the floor. _He still wasn't able to tell me anything about that damn Pokey Minch..._ I thought. I nodded, and walked out of the room without a second thought; I didn't look back to Ness.

For some reason, I felt ashamed to.

---

_"I'm sorry Mr. Andonuts, but your wife has been declared dead tonight at 11:37pm." The nurse sadly spoke to father in the hospital. I couldn't believe my ears... I didn't. I still told myself that she'd walk out of there alive, and ready to accept me into her arms. I was so confused... who was that strange man, how did we get here, and why was my mother..._

_ Rather than sitting in a waiting chair, I was curled up on the floor against the wall, lying on my side. I watched feet travel on the ground in an odd angle. Moments later, a pair of shoes stopped in front of my sight. I traveled my eyes up passed my lenses; my father's silhouetted face was blurry. _

_He said nothing to me that night._

---

I tried sitting in the lobby for a while. But the more I did and the more I was aware of the many others that waited, I felt insecure, and became impatient. It didn't take long before I walked out of the waiting room. I figured I needed some fresh air... a walk to clear my mind up a bit. It was partly cloudy, partly sunny today when I stepped out of the hospital and into the Fourside city. The soft cool breeze felt nice past my tear soaked skin. I closed my eyes for the slightest bit, to take it all in. _Boy, did my head ache,_ I thought.

Maybe I needed a break, I thought. Though I didn't really see how any of this was a break in the first place. I was away from my school, wasn't I? Not that I liked it or anything. Just where exactly were we in Fourside? Where's the hostel? Where was the department store? Where was the Monotoli building?

...Where was Paula now? Time could have been ticking fast. What if she really wasn't okay...? She told me herself that she was with her telepathic skills. She wouldn't lie to us, would she? Either way, we needed to find her as soon as possible...

I passed by a school with a playground. There were younger kids playing, laughing and having a good time. I couldn't believe I scanned everyone... maybe someone put her in a school where she didn't belong, I thought. But among the kids, Paula was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she was the smarter one between the three of us, socially at least. I kept strolling down a couple of blocks. I lost track of time the more my mind swam into my thoughts. I didn't want to tell him... I didn't want to tell anyone what had happened to me back then.

Ultimately, what made me open up to him like that? Was it karma? No... I didn't believe in such a stupid philosophy. Was it...

It wasn't fear, was it? I know I wanted to know more about Pokey Minch, but... To tell him about a past of mine that I didn't even tell my own _Best Friend back in boarding school?_ Then again... he told me personal things it seemed, from fearing me. I didn't understand the logic. The alien, Paula's kidnapping, Pokey Minch, Monotoli...

That strange being from my angsty past. What was happening to us? To our world? _Why was I so damn involved in all of this?_ My thoughts weren't making any sense now.

I halted around the corner when I ran into a flower shop. Beautiful bouquets displayed outside in many colors. I don't know why I had paused to such simple things such as flowers. I didn't walk away though. There was a man sitting in a worn down chair by the bouquets, and a sign that read, "Five daisies: $1.00." Didn't I have one dollar left in my pocket somewhere? I reached in my back pocket. All scrunched up, and wrinkled, yes, I still did. I wasn't really sure what motivated me to buy them in the first place...

"May I buy some flowers?" I asked, not realizing until I spoke how weak my voice really sounded. The poor old man looked up at me with droopy eyes. He looked like a bum, but he still smiled at me.

"You look like you've seen your fare share kid," He said to me. I must have looked slightly bewildered by his suggestion. I sighed.

"May I?" I asked again. The man nodded. "Go on ahead, of course," He smiled. I handed him my last dollar as I picked out as many different colors as I could. One yellow, orange, white, purple... my eyes spotted a daisy with dark blue petals. It was obvious that these flowers were artificially colored, but even so. Wasn't dark blue Ness's favorite color? I claimed my fifth flower, and was about to be on my way.

"Are these flowers for someone special to you?" He asked with a friendly smile. I paused to think. I wasn't really sure... I knew I considered Ness as a friend, at least.

"You could say that... he's a friend of mine," I told him slightly smiling. He nodded.

"Sometimes... the smallest friendly gestures mean the world." I processed his phrase in my head. "He'll remember his greatest friends for the rest of his life. And so will you." I was dumbstruck by his words. He looked like trailer trash, but he spoke like a poet.

"Have a wonderful day," He told me. I slowly nodded.

"Thank you," I told him before I was off. I checked my watch. It was well over 30 minutes now, I had to get back as soon as I could. I could finally ask him... maybe he'll tell me now. Though I paced fast, I kept looking down at the flowers in my hand.

I hoped he'd like them...

---

"Yes, Ness is free for visitors now. But I believe someone else is also visiting Ness right now if my memory is correct," She told me. My eyes were wide. _Who else would be visiting Ness in the hospital?!_ I thought. _ It wasn't Paula, was it? _I paced to his room as fast as I could without running completely. I slammed my fist against the elevator button. I got in once the elevator opened, but on the way up, the elevator paused to a floor before the one I needed. I growled in frustration as a large man entered the elevator, making the box shake slightly. I felt squished against my corner of the box. He glared down at me. I returned the gesture with a nervous smile. When I finally got on the floor I wanted, I practically jumped out of the elevator, and stumbled. I paced again, this time, picking up to a jog until I made it to Ness's room. I opened the door.

_"I don't know what you're talking about..."_ I heard Ness stutter.

"_Ness, Ness, Ness..._ you sound so nervous and guilty. I'm pretty damn sure we _both_ know what _I'm_ talking about..."

_**It was him.**_ Without a second thought, I invaded Ness's half of the room. My eyes widened at the sight before me.

There, sitting in the chair, hunched over Ness's bed was Pokey, in his same red and black stripped suit. He was in a pose where he looked like he was about to cup Ness's chin in a creepy, and taunting fashion. Ness had slid as far as he could to the other side of his hospital bed, cornered and helpless. On the table next to his bed was a giant bouquet of flowers, more beautiful colorful, and richer than mine. I was shocked when Ness's nervous doe like eyes met mine. I frowned.

"Get away from him..." I spoke as calmly as I could manage. Pokey wasn't looking at me, and his eyes were hidden from me thanks to his hair. He started to chuckle to himself; taking his hands away from Ness to stand up slowly. Pokey turned to me as he stood up; I could see his light blue eyes, still hidden beneath locks of blond hair, but I could still see them. They looked leering as he flashed me a toothy grin.

"Why hello there _Jeff__..._ I've been dying to meet you." He spoke nicely. I wasn't buying it.

"What are you doing here?" I spoke calmly again casting Ness another glance. Pokey shrugged.

"Is it wrong of me to visit my best childhood friend in the hospital?" He asked. I frowned.

"Well... I'm pretty sure neither of us notified you that Ness was in critical condition. Nonetheless, I didn't tell you my name. Did Ness tell you?" I asked semi glaring at Ness, who cast his eyes from mine immediately. Pokey let off a light laugh.

"Nah, he doesn't need to tell me such things. I can find out many things on my own time," He said.

"Alright then. Why don't you find out what the weather is like outside, and _get out_, if you don't mind," I asked. Pokey's eyes lit up.

"I can't chat with you two for a little bit? There's so much I'd _love_ to discuss," He said smiling. I snorted.

"Maybe later. But right now, I'm going to ask you to leave please. I need to talk to Ness in_ private _now," I finally said. He looked mad for a split second, but his smile covered it up again. There was intensity in the air between us. For a moment... we observed each other. I was surprised when he actually surrendered.

"Well... alright then. I'd love to talk to you sometime. Ness, I hope you have a speedy recovery," He said walking past me, putting slightly more pressure on one of his legs as he walked. Did he hurt one of his legs at one point? I didn't miss his dark glare on the back of my neck. When I was sure that he was gone, I sighed. Ness looked flustered.

"Did he do anything to you?" I asked frowning. Ness shook his head no.

"Nah... he just came by to give me flowers... that's all," Ness replied. I frowned.

"Bullshit Ness. If Pokey is stalking you, has a connection with Monotoli and if he really _did_ kidnapped Paula in the past, then I'm pretty damn sure that there's more than him giving you a bouquet of flowers," I told him immediately. Ness flinched from my sudden spurt of anger. However, he didn't say anything. So be it. I sighed.

"Look. I told you my share, and in return, you promised to tell me more about him." I said sitting in the chair besides him. Ness looked slightly annoyed.

"... Why do you want to know so much about him?" Ness asked flustering with the question. _Why didn't he want to talk_ was my real question. It had to be said. So I finally did.

"Ness... you may not like this... but I've been thinking about what's been going on. Why this city is acting strange, Monotoli's disappearance... Paula's disappearance. It has to be obvious, Pokey-"

_"Of course Pokey has to do with all of this!"_ Ness finally said irately. My eyes widened. I looked up at Ness who was shaking violently.

_"It's just..."_ Ness became silent. My eyes hardened.

_"It's just __**what?**_" I asked. Ness ran his fingers though his hair. _This was becoming ridiculous,_ I thought. Ness let off a strangled sigh.

_"Jeff... he had us under his strings all this time. He still does. But I..."_ He started saying. _"I can't face him... not right now. Not while I'm like this..."_ Ness started to almost seemingly panic, as he clasped his hands over his forehead, gritting his teeth. I had no idea what to say. Should I or should I not pester him about Pokey anymore? His eyes were covered, but he sounded as if he may have been crying... I frowned sympathetically. He wasn't going to break down like I did, was he?

For crying out loud...

_"Ness..." _I managed to say. Ness shook his head. I glanced at the beautiful bouquet next to his bed. I sighed when I pulled out my measly five. Without saying anything, I placed the five daisies on his lap. Ness fell silent again, gaping at the flowers I had just handed him.

"... Flowers...? Ness asked dumbstruck. He brought his hands away from his face to observe them with his hands. I knew I blushed slightly when he took the daisy with dark navy pedals. They way he took his time looking at the individual pedal had been both annoying, and thought provoking to me. It was as if he was trying to figure something out.

"Where... why...?" He seemed speechless still. There might have been a new emotion inside of him, wrestling with the one he felt towards Pokey. I didn't know why, but I seemed to eagerly await his response even more.

"... You didn't have to..." He managed to say, when he looked at me. I cast my eyes away from his.

"It's nothing, really." I said. Ness didn't seem to be buying it.

"That's so unusual of you... Did you even have enough money? You... you didn't pick these out of someone's garden, did you?" He asked. I frowned, flushing slightly.

"Of course not! I just used my last dollar to go get a few at the flower shop a few blocks from here. I thought, you were hurt, so I thought it would be the proper thing to do! Paula does nice things for us, so why not me? Or you, or... I got you flowers, alright?! I feel guilty as it is for your condition, it's the least I can do!" I rambled, crossing my arms stubbornly and casting my eyes away from his afterward. Ness seemed unresponsive at first, but he kept looking at me, I was sure. Ness finally responded with a chuckle. I snorted.

"What's so funny?" I asked stubbornly. The more I acted so, the more he started to laugh.

_"Hey... I can always return them if you don't like them!"_ I said. However, he still laughed. It wasn't even taunting... it was happy. He gathered the daisies together, and brought them to his nose. My features softened when he spoke.

_"You really didn't have to, you know..._" He said. I frowned. He seemed happy when he said it, but something about the tone of his voice... I sighed.

"Like I said, it was no big deal, alright?" I told him. Ness rested himself back onto the pillows.

"Ness... you still need to tell me..." I said. Ness still wouldn't speak, as he turned his face towards the window. It was starting to approach late afternoon. It was at this precise moment that the nurse _had_ to walk in.

"Jeff? I'm so sorry, but Ness needs to rest right now while we take care of a couple more things. You can talk with him again in a few hours," She told me. A few hours?

God damn it...

Ness turned his head towards us as I let off a hefty, aggravated sigh.

"Are you sure you can't give us at least ten more minutes?" I asked. However, the nurse shook her head.

"It's really important that he gets the treatment the way we offer it. I'm sorry, but you'll have to come back in a few." She said. I frowned, standing up.

"See you later, Ness," I grumbled at him as I walked out of the room.

Yet again, I didn't look back at him.

---

_The giant black box decorated with flowers that they referred to as my mother was being lowered into a deep, dark and frightening hole. I was just wondering when I would see mothers bright and shining face again. I didn't want a black box for a mother; it made no sense to me. I wanted the real thing. How could she love me, cradle me, and take care of me while she was confined in such a frightening box? Why hadn't she woken up? Why wasn't I trapped inside of that box along with her?_

_Why was I alive? __**Why was I the one to live?!**_

_I remember having to leave early because dad had a certain important meeting that he had to go to at all costs. I wasn't even able to offer mother my rose..._

_I wasn't even able to show them both my completed creation in the sandbox..._

_Father and I never returned home._

---

Yet again, sitting in the waiting room was pure torture for me. Thoughts of the incident swam though my head like a million flies gathering around a light in the dark. _I had to find out just exactly what was going on, what was happening... _Ness didn't want to tell me. Why exactly? I know it was personal, but after I told him what happened with me?

_**"I don't know what you're talking about..."**_

_**"Ness, Ness, Ness... **__you sound so nervous and guilty. I'm pretty damn sure we __**both **__know what __**I'm**__ talking about..." _

Just what were they talking about? I ran my fingers though my hair.

_**"Jeff... he had us under his strings all this time. He still does. But I..."**__He started saying. __**"I can't face him... not now. Not while I'm like this..."**_

_If Pokey really did have us under his fingertips all this time... _I thought. _Then he obviously knows what's going on..._ I was going to find out, whether Ness or the Nurse objected. I got up, and left the hospital.

I needed to find out right then and there.

---

It took a good half an hour, but I finally found it. This time, I took a good look at the magnificent building; the Monotoli Tower. The sun was just starting to approach its setting point; the afternoon rays reflected off of the building beautifully. Because of this, I couldn't glance up, and see who was watching out. It was very ironic to me. When I was about to cross the street, I was stopped by a hand. I spun around in defense, only to find the same man from yesterday. What did Ness say his name was... Everdred? He looked perplexed, probably because Ness and Paula were not with me.

"Hey, aren't you that Jeff kid that hung with Ness and Paula yesterday?" He asked. He lifted his black glasses over his head.

"Well... yeah, why?" I asked. Everdred shrugged.

"Just wondering. Did you guy's split up or something?" I couldn't tell him what was actually going on, I just couldn't.

"Yeah, you could say that," I replied. Everdred looked like he wasn't buying it, but he did. Maybe he knew something was up because of the vibe I gave him, but he probably chose to ignore it.

"Well alright. But by tomorrow morning, I want to see all three of you when we meet up at Jackie's Cafe." he replied as he walked off. I frowned.

"Hey, wait," I told him. Everdred stopped, but he didn't turn around.

"Yeah?"

"... Something strange is going on," I told him. He stood there for a moment.

"Those words don't sum it up well, kid. But yes, something strange is happening. I'll be expecting you three there tomorrow morning," He said before he walked away from me. I deepened my frown. At least there were others that noticed. As soon as I couldn't see him anymore, I crossed the street, and entered the glowing tower.

---

"You want to talk to Pokey Minch you say?" The lady at the counter asked.

"Yes, I really do; it's very urgent," I told her. She raised her eyebrow. She was probably confused as to why a nerdy kid like me would be asking such a request.

"Well... you can, but you'll have to wait until he has the time," She replied. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until then," She replied pointing to the chairs in the lobby. I growled inwardly.

"Thank you," I told her anyways, though I didn't mean any of it. As I sat in the waiting chair, I sat; moments and moments passed by. I was pretty sure a good half hour flew by until a strange man sat across from me, holding a deck of cards. What was strange about him was that he wore no shirt.

"Can you believe I lost a solitaire tournament just now? I lost my shirt..." He lightly ranted. I shrugged.

"No, I don't believe you. How can you be in a solitaire tournament when it's a one player game?" I replied. I must have let off a cold vibe. I didn't mean to, but the guy still rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well you see, I..." We were interrupted.

"Hey, you were with Ness and that girl in the department store yesterday!" I heard Picky say. My head snapped to him. He still looked like his emo self; he had a handful of random goods, including a shirt. He pointed at me, almost in a surprised fashion. My eyes widened. I stood up and pointed back.

_"And you're that kid! What the hell were you doing there, following us like that anyways?!_" I snapped back.

_**"And you're the kid that cheated me out in that game!! I want my shirt back!"**_ The shirtless man pointed at Picky. Picky and I flashed the man an embarrassingly confused look. Picky grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Picky replied chuckling. The man growled in frustration.

_"Yes you do! You're the kid from that solitaire tournament!!"_ He started to raise his voice. Picky snickered.

_"_I thought solitaire was a _single_ player game_,_" Picky asked. The man roared irately.

_"__**That's it! Give me back my shirt!!"**_ He roared as he stepped over. Both of us braced ourselves until a pair of guards ran to him, and grabbed him; tight enough to where he could only flail in attempt to break free.

_"That little punk there stole my shirt!"_ The men ignored his hollers as best as they could, though he started to attract attention. Picky and I watched the man get hauled off.

"Alright Picky, why did you cheat at a card game?" I asked crossing my arms. Picky smirked.

"He's the one that fell for it. Besides, he's the one that offered it in the bet." I frowned as Picky stuffed his so called 'prizes' in his pockets, tossing the shirt over his shoulder.

"So what brings you here?" He smirked. I didn't like the look he gave me.

"I need to talk to your older brother," I replied. I didn't miss how for a moment, his eyes hardened. He concealed it by keeping his smug appearance a glow.

"Huh, why do you want to talk to _Porky Pig?_" He replied. Porky Pig? Was that a nickname or something?

"Or Pokey... which is what Ness calls him. I don't care about his name, I just need to talk to him," I replied. Picky raised an eyebrow. We stood there for a moment.

"I can take you to him if you'd like," He said. I was grateful for a moment, until he continued.

"... If you give me a dollar that is," He finished. I cringed inwardly. I just _had_ to spend my last buck on those flowers, now didn't I?

"I don't have a dollar," I growled. Picky frowned.

"Well then, you're cheap. I thought you'd be loaded, especially since I saw you in that shop," He said. "Or was that Ness's money?" He asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Never mind, I'll just wait," I said. Picky frowned.

"What else do ya have on you?" Picky asked. I speculated, immediately reaching into all my pockets to empty out the contents; all except for my new knife. I happened to be carrying a tissue, a rubber band, matches and the pack of bubble gum from Winters.

"Is there gum still in there?" He asked pointing to the bubble yum.

"I think so," I replied. Picky's mouth curved up.

"Alright, it's a deal." He said, snatching the pack out of my hand, and walking away. I was about to say something, but I followed instead. He immediately took a piece, and started chewing it while he pressed the elevator button.

"I don't understand; why are you here if you live with your mom back in your hometown?" I asked as the elevator opened. Picky shrugged. We walked inside as he gestured the lady to take us to the 47th floor.

"Many reasons. I just wanted to visit my other half of my family, see how things are doing here," He said. The way he said it made me come to a realization.

"Wait a minute... are you saying that you're..." I spoke until Picky finished the sentence for me.

"Divorced? Yeah, they did so a month ago, your point?" He said, almost stubbornly. I frowned.

"I... didn't realize, that's all," I said. Picky said nothing. We waited, as I turned around to see the sun lit sky. We happened to be in one of the elevators with a clear plain view of Fourside. I could see the desert hills in the distance.

"...There was a meteorite crash in Onett around the same time," Picky said out of the blue. I cast my eyes towards him. He moved his eyes out into the shining distance.

"... Let's just say that things haven't been the same since then," He said. I frowned at his suggestion, gazing out in the scenery again. He was right.

"Are you working for your brother?" I finally asked. Picky was silent at first.

"I could never help him out. Not when it's like this," He finally said. So be it. We were silent the rest of the way up. Moments later, we finally made it. The doors opened up.

"Just take the doors to the left," He said. "You shouldn't have trouble reaching him now," He said before I left the elevator. I nodded.

"Thanks, Picky," I told him, smiling slightly. Picky smirked; his form was silhouetted in the sun.

"You shouldn't thank me, ever," He told me. I wasn't sure what he meant, but I nodded, and was off. I went through the doors.

All I could say was that the hallway was completely empty. It was strange... the last time we were here; this place was _packed_ with body guards.

_"I'd love to talk to you sometime,"_ He spoke in my memories. Was Pokey expecting my arrival? My entire being flinched when I heard an enraged yelling behind one of the doors.

_**"WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!"**_ An older man yelled.

_"I've been right here, __**dear**__ father, why?"_ I heard one's familiar voice reply.

_"__**You better have a good damn explanation for this, you swine of a son; WHY THE FUCK ARE THERE HOSPITAL EXPENSES IN MY BILL?!" **_ I heard Pokey laugh. It wasn't friendly though, it was cold.

"Well, because I had to get my knee checked on again, considering you _**broke**_ one of them all those years ago," He replied coldly. Was that really the truth? _He wasn't..._

_"I'm sorry son, explain one more time? I'm pretty fucking sure that a knee checkup doesn't cost around __**300 bucks**_," He replied. Pokey started to laugh.

"Money... that's _all_ you care about, isn't it? Dad... get the _fuck_ out of my office," Pokey replied. I heard his father roar in anger, as I heard something heavy slam. I heard him stomping towards the door.

_"__**Just wait till I tell Monotoli about this!!"**_ He yelled. I inwardly panicked, as I dashed behind a nearby wall outside of the hallway. In moments, the man slammed the doors open angrily, and stormed towards the elevators, grumbling to himself. The father happened to be heavier than Pokey; in fact, Pokey seemed like a stick compared to his father. I assumed, since the back of his stubby neck was, that his face was red. I snuck back into the hallway, making sure he didn't notice my presence. I let off a hefty sigh. My heart started to pound...

_Was I ready to confront him...? Ness wasn't..._ I gulped as I stood before that door.

"Well... here we go..." I muttered to myself, as I turned the door nob.

The orange sun rays of the setting sun. That's what I first saw, when I opened that door. It made everything in the room seemingly glow. My heart started to pound rapidly as I took a few more steps inside. The windows in the room were huge, and there were no blinds to block the sun set. When my eyes finally trailed away from the windows, that's when I saw him.

Instead of sitting in his luxurious chair, he sat behind his desk, leaning back into his chair in a sloppy fashion. His hair covered his face. He glowed in the sunlight, which contrasted with the black computer chair he sat in. When I was sure that he knew I was in the room, his mouth formed a huge, toothy grin.

"I had a feeling you'd come," He spoke with his regular soft voice. I was silent as I stood in front of the big window; the light cast my long shadow on the rugged floor. He started to snicker.

_"It's an honor to meet you, __**Jeff Andonuts,"**_ he said. My eyes slightly widened. _He even knew my last name?_

"First off, why do you know my name? You didn't fully answer that when we were back in the hospital," I said. Pokey chuckled again.

"Really Jeff you naive fool, I'm pretty sure _**everyone**_ knows your last name," He replied. I assumed he was referring to my father.

"What do you know about him? My so called father..." I asked warily. There he went with his snicker. He stood up, his head hung low.

"You two had disappeared from the public for so long, it's kind of hard to not wonder where such a famous scientist has gone to. It was only a few years ago that your father was discovered again, working up in Winters, secretly that is. However, _you're _still invisible to the public, did you know that?" He asked. _Why did he know so much about us... I didn't even know my father was still up in Winters, even a few months ago..._ I froze when he asked his next question.

"So... what did it feel like to see the one you loved the most die right before your very eyes?" He asked tilting his twisted head to the side.

_No..._

_No, he couldn't have anything to do with it... no..._ My entire being was in shock. It was silent between us as he sneered at me, in the sun.

_"What... do you know?"_ I asked, breath becoming heavy. Pokey let off a content sigh.

"What I _don't_ know is the real question. There are many things I know, many more than you, _or_ your brilliant father could ever know in your entire lives. Maybe I could never build my own rocket ship, but I know something that humanity has yet to discover." He said, as he started to slowly walk around the room. "But I'm sure you're grasping a little bit of that knowledge yourself, aren't you?" He asked. "Besides, for a smart young man like you, it should be easy," He said.

"The end of the world?" I asked. Pokey chuckled.

"See? You have a sharp eye; have you put it to any good use yet?" He said. This conversation was both what I had wanted, and not wanted to discuss. He was leading this into very dark, and bizarre territories. I felt as if I didn't belong.

"Let me guess... by any good chance, are you affiliated with the strange condition of this city? You seemed to know very damn well where we go in this city, considering you visited Ness in the hospital," I questioned. Pokey 'hmmed.'

"That could be partially legit, though to be brutally honest, I'm only a small segment of the mural," He replied.

"And the Mani Mani statue... does that ring any bells? I'm pretty sure it does, Paula told me what happened back in Happy Happy Village... _what you caused that place to go under_," I spoke daringly. Pokey kept humming to himself.

"I see you've done your homework," He said, flashing me his light blue eyes for the first time. I frowned.

_"Where is she? _I know your hiding her somewhere. She's in this building at this very moment, isn't she?" I cut to the chase. Pokey started to laugh harder now. _**Bingo**_.

"Even if I _did_ or _didn't_ know where she was, it wouldn't matter. I wasn't the one that planned it," He replied looking out of another window.

"Let me guess... your boss, Monotoli, am I right? You seem to know things more than everyone else, you mentioned yourself. According to the public, he's gone missing. Where's he hiding?" I asked. Pokey snorted, but was unresponsive at first.

_"I may know, but I don't have to tell you,"_ he replied. I growled.

"Just remember this: We _**will**_ get her back, safe and sound. We'll make sure of it; _**I'll**_ make sure that you or that so called boss of yours don't lay another finger on her," I stated. Pokey looked back at me and smiled.

"We'll see about that, now won't we?" Pokey asked.

"Yes, we will. And you won't like the results either." We both silently looked each other in the eye. His mouth curved up.

"You have a determined look in your eyes. That's the strongest determination I've seen in a very long time. Just don't get too carried away," He said. I blew hot air out of my nostrils. He turned his face to the windows again.

"You may think that you can make a huge difference, but you and I... _we're only human_. Humanity has a limit. I'm not sure about you, but I've definitely crossed that limit," He told me. I was confused with where he was taking this.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. He chuckled again.

"You think like a true scientist should Jeff, always asking the questions. Have you gotten all of your answers?" He said. I raised my eyebrow wearily.

"No... not all of them..." I said. "But I'll get as many as I can, especially from you," I spoke. There was a pause. Pokey snorted; like a pig.

_"You're disgusting,"_ he said. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Not as disgusting as you are... spying on our every move like an owl locking onto its prey," I said. I could see another smile spread across his face. _He knew he was disgusting as well__._

"How so?" He asked.

"You were using your younger brother Picky yesterday... to make sure that we were there at the department store," I stated coldly. Finally, Pokey frowned.

"Why are you here?" He asked. "Do you honestly think you can play the hero, and rescue your so called friend 'Paula'?" He asked me.

"Maybe not without Ness... I mostly came here to find out more about you... why you're bothering us... the city... and where you stand in all this," I said. Pokey faced me, and snorted again.

"Do you even know where you, _yourself_ stand in this? You didn't come here to find more about me," He stated.

"Well I sure as hell didn't come here to find out more about myself," I replied. "And yes, believe it or not, I came here for you. Who are you... maybe what are you, and what is your purpose?" I asked coldly. His grin spread wider.

"_Wrong!_ You never came here to know more about me, you don't give a _rat's ass _about me, so until you realize _why_ you're talking to me, this conversation will get us nowhere," He stated. I gritted my teeth.

_"I already told you my purpose of being here! You're just dragging out the conversation into bizzare territories_," I growled. He seemed to observe me closely. It sent shivers down my spine, how his shady blue eyes glinted in the sun set.

_"Wrong. You didn't come here to find out more about me... you came, because you want to know more about Ness,"_ He finally said. My eyes widened. He leered at me, as if he had proven a point. He shattered my determination. I stood there silently... what was I to say now? _It was possible... I did want to know more about him... __**just not like this**__._ I pictured Ness smiling, and laughing when I gave him the daisies earlier that afternoon. I remembered when I first broke down in front of him, and he embraced me with comfort. Pokey turned away to walk towards the window. When he finally spoke... I became stock still.

_"So... Jeff... isn't he gorgeous?"_ My breath caught.

"What... _**who**__ are you talking about?" _I asked in a softer tone of voice.

"_Why... Ness of course."_

_"I don't understand what you're talking about..."_

_"Oh... I'm pretty sure you know __**exactly**__ what __**I'm**__ talking about."_

_"No... I really don't know what you're talking about."_

_"Don't lie to me. You've thought about it as well."_

_"I don't know what you're talking about."_

_"Yes, you do."_

_"No, I __**don't."**_

_"We're both disgusting, aren't we?"_

_"What did you do to him?"_

_"He has no idea... how __**fucking**__ beautiful, and perfect he really is."_

_"...What did you do to him?"_

_"I was his best friend for many years... I've memorized every inch of him that I could. You __**could**__ compare me with a scientist in that sense... always searching for the answers you can grasp..."_

_**"What did you do to him?!"**_ I growled in hostility. There he went again with that wide grin of his. _Such a swine..._

"Well... not enough to steal his virginity, but definitely enough to take part of his innocence as my own," He replied. I gawked at him in horror. _No..._

_So this was the truth..._ I felt both petrified and pissed.

"Ness... he was... your friend..." I stuttered; shivered. He cocked his head towards me.

_**"He was your friend god damn it! YOUR BEST FRIEND! How could you do such a thing?!"**_ I yelled at him. He still had that smug look about him.

"You sound like you're about to cry. _Ness never cried back then..."_

_**"Until you did what you did! My fucking god, Pokey, you scarred him! He doesn't even know his full potential, he was afraid of me... AFRAID when we met for the first god damn time!"**_ I roared. Pokey chuckled. _No wonder Ness was scared of him..._

"Humans are disgusting, aren't they?" He said.

_**"Ness is a human being, just like you and me, and I don't hear you saying ANYTHING about how disgusting he is!"**_

"Well... because he's more than just human. _He isn't like you and I._ Jeff, I thought you had a keen eye, didn't you notice what Ness and Paula can do?" He asked. I paused.

"Are... are you talking about their super human abilities..._ their PSI powers?"_ Pokey nodded.

"I'm not saying that humans can't learn this so called PSI... in fact, there's someone in a faraway country, Dalaam, that's studying it as we speak. I'm pretty sure he has to keep using it constantly... he wouldn't be able to harness it naturally like Ness and Paula can. But maybe you'll meet him someday, and ask him what it's like. _I know I'd like to know,"_ Pokey spoke. I was silent.

"You're probably wondering why you're involved in all this... you have to be. Out of all the people in the world, why did Paula choose to contact _you_ for help? She could have contacted your _brilliant_ father... she couldn't have chosen to contact the wise old man down the street... a local fire fighting hero... the one in Dalaam studying _their_ abilities... yet she still chose to contact_ you_... out of all the people in the entire world... the entire universe that is..."

_**"WHERE IS SHE, POKEY MINCH?!"**_ I yelled at him. He continued to ramble.

"So I had to do some research... on the infamous _Jeffery Andonuts..."_

_**"WHERE IS THAT BASTARD HIDING HER?!"**_

"It was then I learned about your tragic past... how your disappearance is linked to your mother's death..."

_**"MONOTOLI! WHERE IS HE?!"**_

"Your father abandoned you at such a young age... he must have _hated_ looking at the disgusting filth you really are... a human... what your human errors have caused..."

_**"YOU DID THIS!"**_ Pokey chuckled.

"You know what's ironic? I received a letter the other day..."

_**"YOU CAUSED ALL THIS MAYHEM!!"**_

"But it was a shame... the letter wasn't addressed to me..."

_**"YOU'RE THE REASON WHY NESS FEELS SO LOST!"**_

"Ahh... it was such a touching letter too. It was written to someone they missed, and obviously cared deeply about..."

_**"WHERE IS PAULA POLESTAR?!"**_

"Hmmm... the line that stood out to me the most... '_Sometimes I pretend you're right next to me to say that everything will be alright, so I can get back up on my feet again. It's so different without you... sometimes it's frightening'..._ Hmm... if I could only remember the name the writer referred to..."

_**"GOD DAMN IT POKEY MINCH, ANSWER ME!"**_

"Ahh yes! Now I remember... _his name was Tony."_

_My eyes widened in pure horror as he sneered at me._ _My arms shook as my bottom lip trembled._

_The letter never reached him... it went straight to Pokey Minch..._

_Oh fuck... no..._

_"If... you lay... __**one finger on him**__... I swear... I'll..."_ I managed to barely whisper. Pokey leered.

"You'll do what? _Kill me?_ Like you did to your _mother?"_ He asked. I gritted my teeth, as I was sure tears were streaming down my eyes.

_"I never killed anyone... I may blame myself for my mother's death, but I would __**NEVER**__ have gotten the thought to kill my mother... especially in the fashion that you're thinking of..."_ I told him for the final time. Pokey narrowed his eyes.

"I bet you're not afraid to kill me, now are you?" He said. I paused.

"It proves you're human..."

"Stay away from Ness... from Paula... _from Tony..._" Pokey snorted in response.

"It's getting late. I think you should be heading back to Ness before something happens..." My jaw dropped.

_"I won't let you hurt Ness... I won't let you hurt him, and I__** definitely**__ won't let you kill him,"_ I told him as I inched my way towards the door. Pokey flashed me a perplexed look.

_"Kill? Why would I ever want to kill a beautiful creature such as Ness?_" He asked. I was silent. He chuckled.

"You know what would happen if such a tragedy would come true? _The __**universe**__ would __**die **__without __**him**__..."_ I took the last phrase in mind, as I was about to leave. However, he had one more thing to say apparently.

"However... you're just like the rest of us... Keep getting yourself involved in this... _I __**will **__kill you..."_ He threatened me. I looked back at him, his smile twisted inhumanly. I paused before I was off.

_I don't think I ever ran faster in my entire life..._

---

_I slept in the closet that night. I was alone, curled up on the floor. The night light was my only comfort, yet it still made the environment tragic, and insane. The shadows in my closet danced around me; taunted me... teased me..._

_She's never coming back... she's gone because of you... you're the reason for her loss..._

_I squeezed my eyes shut, and I brought my knee's to my chin as I heard tables, and objects being thrown violently all across the house. Tears streamed down my eyes._

_I'm sorry Daddy... I failed you again..._

_When I woke up that morning, and entered my bedroom, my bed was thrown to the other side of the room; my crayons and legos were everywhere I stepped. I walked down the stairs. The house was completely empty to my knowledge. When I walked down to his basement..._

_He even tore up his personal lab... On the floor, next to the invention he had just started was a picture..._

_Mother, Father, and I at the sunlit beach..._

_A happy family..._

---

I noticed the uproar of cars all the sudden around the hospital. For some strange and frightening reason, the place seemed like an attraction. I dashed inside, and raced to the elevators. When I made it to the right floor, when I made it to Ness's room, I froze.

_The room was trashed. The curtain that separated the two hospital beds was torn apart. The window was wide open._

_**Ness was nowhere in sight...**_


	12. The Man of Mani Mani

_**A/N:**_ Oh my goodness! X3 Thank you guys again, DanMat6288, BabyAngel22, NetusVersatus, sightswiftlifter, and the Leander for the encouraging reviews! X//3 And thank you, YukuTiszuki, Orkidee, and Sashie for reviewing me over DA! (Well... Sashie on iscribble XD) Geez, you people are awesome!

And of course, thank you Rosecloud and Wolfytails for checking this out as well! X3

Oh and before I forget, thank you so much, Tekirai-chan for the realistic review! X3 You caught me right before I was about to upload this X3 I appreciate all the good and the criticism you put into your review, it will only help my writing get better and better as time goes on! When I get the time, I do plan on editing my past parts, for I know that there are a few errors that passed my eyes that people had notified me about! Most of all, thanks so much for enjoying it so far! X3

(sigh) Alright, I finally got this done. XP Anyways, this is another chapter I've been meaning to write, mainly for... _you'll just have to get there! _XD All I can say is that... _something_ happens. 8E Actually, a lot of things happen... oh well XD There's a lot of foreshadowing going on in this chapter. Another thing is that Jeff actually discovers... or suspects something unordinary about himself! XP

Alrighty, well without further ado, I hope you enjoy this chapter! 8D

XxxxxxXxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

_It was cold. That was the first thing I thought when my father and I first stepped into Winters. I wasn't welcome in this new__,__ strange realm. I was used to the comforting rays the sun gave me at home. Our home... the one we left once she left us..._

_ I attempted to reach for my father's hand for the dozenth time, but he didn't pay any mind. Exiting the air port, my father ordered a limo. I was kind of excited at first about the limo, but when we started driving up the tall snow covered mountains, I became nervous. It was still dark; the towering trees hid the lingering shadows in the forest that I knew were out to get me._

_The car slowed as we reached a round-about that led to a giant gate guarding a mansion it seemed. Was this our new home? It looked so miserable. My father stepped out of the car and got my luggage from the trunk. When he opened my door, I was surprised to only see one suit case. My father silently ushered me out of the car, and grabbed my luggage. We entered the big and scary house._

_"Yes, we do have a reservation for Jeffery Andounuts" The man at the counter said leaning over the counter and smiling at me sincerely. At the height I was at, I could only see the nose hairs that stuck out of his nostrils._

_"Welcome to Snow Woods elementary Boarding School you lucky young man. You're one of the youngest we've had. You're very special to have such a brilliant man for a father, so it's an honor to host you for a while..." He snickered at me. Boarding school? I was only four years old. I was so lost, where was I? Why was I here? What was a boarding school, and why was I going to one? Wasn't dad going to take care of me? _

_But when I turned around, he was already gone..._

XxxxxXxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 12 The Man of Mani Mani_

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_This couldn't be happening..._

_**There was just no way...**_

Everything was everywhere. The equipment was scattered, the beds were a mess, and Pokey's flowers littered the floor. It was already hitting dark, and I felt the unwelcoming cold wind giving me the shivers. But I didn't pay any mind... I had been in a state of shock. I was sure I had done so for the trillionth time, but I kept scanning my eyes wildly around the room, even for a hint; for a sign of Ness close by...

_He was gone... did someone kidnap him? Where's he now? __**Why**__ now, __**why**__ ever..._ I clenched my forehead.

_"This can't be happening... no...no..."_ I stuttered to myself. I momentarily spotted my bag on the floor, contents spilling out. I rushed to my things in which I was surprised that nothing was stolen. When I put the strap around my shoulder, I froze.

"Are you Jeff?" I heard the nurse say behind me. I spun around quickly.

_"Wha- what happened?!"_ I asked in panic. I hated the look the nurse gave me as she frowned.

"Well... we don't quite know... why there was a violent crowd looking for him, but he left before anything happened. He asked us where you were, and we told him that we didn't know, so he started begging us to let him go. He said he needed to look for you right away. He seemed very worry-some while he said so..." She replied. _He left before anything obscure happened? __**Why was he in a rush to find me?**_ I growled in frustration.

_"Why did you people tell him that I __**left?!**_" I kept myself from roaring her, though she still flinched in response.

"Well... what else were we to-"

_"Do you know where he was heading when he left?!"_ I asked. However, the nurse shook her head.

"I'm sorry, he didn't tell us any of that kind of information," She replied with sorrow. I cringed, drifting my eyes to the flower littered floor.

"Can you describe the group that was trying to get to him?" I asked, feeling my voice lower in volume. The nurse 'hmmed' to herself.

"Well they were a peculiar group... some of them seemed to be affiliated with magic it seemed, though some of the others looked like serious body guards," She said as I took the words in with shock and realization.

_Was Demetri working for Pokey this entire time?_ I took another look at the room as we were interrupted by a cleanup crew. I nodded to the nurse.

"Thank you for telling me all you know," I told her before I was off again. Walking through the halls, I passed by multiple people, including police force. When I was downstairs, I was stopped by someone putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey young sir, may I ask you a question," He asked me. I raised eyebrow.

"Quickly please; I'm in a hurry," I told him. When he held up a picture, I held in my breath as best as I could.

"Do you recognize the sketch of this young man?" He asked holding up a well drawn picture of Ness. I tried my best to keep a straight face.

_"No... I'm sorry, I don't recognize him,"_ I told police officer sighed as I started walking off.

_"Well if you do see him, please contact us immediately, it's an urgent manner that he's found,"_ He said. I paced out of the hospital. I wanted to assume that the police was searching him down for safety reasons. But still...

_Why did they have such an accurate sketch of him?_

---

The streets seemed to be extra crowded in some streets, and others were completely empty that night; why was beyond me. This was stupid, how was I going to find him in such a big crowd, nonetheless in a huge city? Everything seemingly spun around me, including the lights, the different people. It didn't help my migraine, and it only started to make me feel sick to my stomach.

I eventually walked down a quiet street, as I felt myself stumble on my feet. Clenching a nearby wall, I kept myself from clashing to the ground. I had no idea where I was headed, or where exactly I was in the first place. I needed a tactic... a plan. I sighed, running my fingers though my hair. That's when I heard it...

A ring. The sound of a cell ring. It was nearby... so nearby... so ridiculously loud that it was actually coming from my bag. I fumbled with my bag, and opened it, and there it was...

_Ness's receiver phone_, I thought. I picked it up without a second thought, and pressed the talk button.

_**"Ness?!**_" I practically spat into the phone. There was a small pause.

"Uhh... no not really, this is Apple Kid," Apple Kid replied. I groaned inwardly.

_"What do you want?!"_ I growled.

"Okay, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down. Now, I can only assume that this if Jeff I'm speaking to, am I right?" He asked me. I raised an eyebrow.

_"Yeah, but why do you care? I'm in a hurry right-"_

"Jeff, please hear me out, I know where Ness is," He finally said. I paused and thought for a moment. At first I was happy he mentioned that, but wasn't there a possibility that this wasn't Apple Kid that Ness had spoken to back in Threed? _What if this was a trap of some sort?_

_"You know what's ironic? I received a letter the other day..."_ Pokey spoke in my memories.

"Isn't there a possibility that either you aren't Apple Kid, or that Pokey and Monotoli is listening into our conversation at this very moment?" I asked him. Apple Kid 'hmmed.'

"I don't that would be possible. I designed the receiver phone myself. It may be the most limited phone to date, but it's the most secure. Besides, it would be beyond illegal for the mayor of Fourside to listen into personal phone conversations, especially ones that don't share the same area code as the city does. There would be major governmental issues involved, and even if he really wanted to, he wouldn't want to get caught. And besides, only Ness's father and I know the number to that particular receiver phone. Believe me Jeff, I understand what's going on there, so please, just calm yourself," He explained. I had to admit... it made sense in a way. I couldn't believe myself, but I could only trust that he was right. I didn't realize how horrified I sounded until I spoke.

_"Please... you have to tell me where Ness is,"_ I begged.

"Okay, okay... He should be somewhere around that new department store... somewhere around there..." He told me. _The department store? Why would he go there? __**Wasn't that dangerously close to the Monotoli building?!**_ I was on my way instantly.

"Do you know when he departed there?" I asked

"About an hour ago, I believe..." He replied. Ness must have planned this all out. Somehow, he had to have gotten contact with Apple Kid, and snuck the receiver phone into my bag before he left in hopes that I would notice, and go find him.

_"And you're sure that he said he'd be around the department store?"_ I double checked.

"Yes Jeff, I'm 98 percent sure that he said he'd be around the department store.

_"Did he tell you why he was doing so?"_ I asked.

"Not really. He just said he was sick of waiting in the hospital, and he wanted to find you as soon as possible," He replied. I grumbled to myself angrily. _Stupid Ness doesn't realize the danger we're in right now..._

_"However... you're just like the rest of us... Keep getting yourself involved in this... I will kill you..."_ Pokey spoke into my mind.

My migraine was well back into a full blown headache.

---

"You sound exhausted, Jeff," Apple Kid spoke on the other line.

"I'm _not_ exhausted," I replied stubbornly.

"Then can you please stop breathing heavily into the phone? It's starting to bug me while I work," He replied. I sighed.

"Okay, _fine,_ maybe I'm a little out of breath. _I'm only trying to find my friend as soon as I can._ I'm sure you can deal with it," I told him. There was a moment of silence. Now it seemed as if he was trying to have a normal conversation. The nerve of him.

"You know Jeff? I've always wanted to meet your father; I'm his biggest fan," He told me. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Is that so?" I asked cringing to myself as he kept blabbering in his annoying voice.

"Oh yes! I've studied everything that he's ever invented and is good at. I think maybe that our-" I hung up the phone.

_"Shut the fuck up,"_ I muttered irately at the phone; stuffing it in my pocket.

---

I eventually made my way onto another rather quiet street. Still, I was nowhere near the department store, and Demetri's men could have already discovered him by then. I started to worry; _what if I was too late?_ He wouldn't let himself get into any deep trouble, would he? I started to pick my feet up in a jog. The downfall was that my feet didn't take me very far as I stopped in exhaustion. My eyes spotted a yellow car from afar. I thought it was strange that its headlights weren't on, but it didn't stop me from realizing that it was a taxi. I would make it become my temporary savior. I waved my arms above my head maniacally. The taxi started to speed up, as if the driver wanted to avoid me. I growled in frustration as I saw the car speed right past me. Though it was in a matter of moments when I held my breath.

The taxi seemed to rush to a sharp stop. It was then that the car took a sharp 'U' turn and started to speed down the road again. I wasn't sure what kind of reckless driver was in control at the time, but I thought the faster, the better. It was when the taxi sped madly on the sidewalk, still heading towards me that my eyes widened in fear. I dove out of the way just in time for it to speed madly down past where I would have been slaughtered on the spot. My chest became heavy as I tried rushing back to my feet.

_"What the fuck is wrong with whoever's driving that damn car?!"_ It flipped around again, and roared its engine. I took a look into the front seats and came to a shocking conclusion.

_The driver's seat was completely empty._ My mind went temporarily blank as the taxi roared again. Still, the street we were on was completely empty besides the two of us. _How the hell was I supposed to stand up to a freaking car?!_ The car pressed on its own gas, and was heading towards me like an angry bull locked onto its prey.

_**Holly shit**_, I thought. Before it hit me, I dodged out of the way, and ran the opposite direction. I couldn't fight it head on, but I thought to myself, I either had to be fast enough to get out of its sight and range, or I had to outsmart it somehow. _How the heck was I supposed to outsmart an object?!_ I thought to myself as I tripped onto the ground. I yelped, and sat up immediately to find the taxi charging towards me again. I rolled over swiftly; I could feel the swift movement of the car passing by right behind my back. I shivered at the thought of me staying put. I rushed up onto my feet again, and saw the car ram into a corner post box, knocking it down completely. I rushed to the right of the intersection, making my way down a different road.

I felt my chest swelling from the lack of oxygen; for I wasn't used to so much running in the first place. It was hard to tell from the distant roaring of the taxi, but I could have sworn that I heard the receiver phone ringing in my pocket again. I took the time again, to dodge out of the car's way, and started running in the opposite direction; which would have to force the taxi to shift into reverse just to turn around and hunt me down again. _**Just why was a taxi trying to kill me anyways?!**_ I fumbled with my pocket as I ran as fast as I could; my heart beat rapidly. I pressed the talk button, and half yelled, half panted into the phone.

_**"Apple Kid?!"**_ I yelled.

"Yep, it's me, Ap-"

_**"Why the hell are you calling me again?!"**_ I yelled into the phone as I rushed around another corner. I was sure the taxi was trying to tail me as best as it could. Though I thought, it was bound to catch up again.

"Our connection got broken, so I called you again. Like I was saying before, I'm your father's-"

_**"I don't give a damn about my father, alright?!"**_ I yelled, feeling my breath run out before I could completely finish my sentence.

"Oh... alright. Well how's your search? Any signs so far?"

_Oh, it's going __**swell**__, how about that?!"_ I told him as I jumped out of the car's path. I looked around me madly for a sign. When I saw another small street out of the taxi's way, I sprinted again.

"You sound exhausted Jeff, you alright? Is Ness okay? How come you're so angry sounding whenever you speak to me?" He asked me. I growled.

_"You wanna know how I am?! I feel scared as a fucking wet cat and I'm out of breath like a deflated balloon, __**that's how I feel!"**_ I ranted with the breath I had left.

"Oh... well that's not very good," He spoke casually. I gritted my teeth and took in a deep breath though my nostrils.

"_**You're not helping at all, you know that?!"**_ I yelled.

"Oh..." He spoke warily in the phone. It was when I decided to dodge again, that the phone flew out of my hand. _God damn it._ I swiftly got to my feet again, feeling my knees nearly giving way. The car took a sharp U turn. Without thinking, I rushed again, down a different lane, which happened to be in fact a dead end. I panted, eyes wider than the time Pokey had told me his little secret. I could hear the engine swiftly approaching me from behind. My heart raced, and I started to panic. _Such a cliche scenario._

_I was really going to die here, wasn't I? No... no, I couldn't die, not yet. I may have deserved to die, but there was so much I still needed to know. There was so much I felt as if I needed to do, even if it didn't make sense. I had to help save the world, didn't I? I had to make sure that Tony was alright. I had to win Paula back safe and sound..._

_...I had to find and protect Ness as best as I could in his condition._ I don't know how it happened, but I did it so fast, and I felt as if I pictured it all in my head, moments before it even happened. The roaring of the engine became so loud at the time.

Somehow, I had managed to swiftly pace around the car, just barely a second before it hit me, and while it smashed into the dead end, I managed to open the driver's door, and tried taking control of the wheel once I was inside. What was odd was that the car was still in motion; it should have malfunctioned from the severe impact of the crash. Without me having any control, it shifted into reverse, and sped out of the alleyway. When we were out, it started to swerve uncontrollably, I assumed to knock me out of the vehicle somehow. I held my strong grip on the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white, and my arms rotating uncontrollably and uncomfortably. I forced the wheel in the opposite direction in attempt to get the car in control. It felt like hours as we wrestled over control, but when the car swerved into a tree, I was able to make my move as I turned the wheel with all my might. _I was in control now_, I thought, even though more than half of me was in panic_._ I attempted to drive the car down the same alley way we were in, and once we made it, I slammed my foot on the gas. I knew my idea was crazy and suicidal, but I couldn't think of a better option. I screamed and closed my eyes, hearing the engine roaring before I slammed into the wall. My senses went black for a while...

---

My head felt as if someone cracked it open with a hammer when I finally opened my eyes again. I groaned as I brought my hand to my forehead, feeling my glasses barely hanging off my nose. Adjusting them, I examined where I was. I couldn't think straight right away, but I knew I was still sitting in the taxi that now seemed lifeless. It was dead silent. I closed my eyes, in attempt to slowly get back to earth.

_Just what happened?_ There was no way; why did I live? The car was so deadly close that an average person wouldn't have had the time to dodge. _I should have died... just like all those years ago. Yet here I was, in aching pain, but still alive, and breathing._ Was it luck, for purpose or was it punishment? I looked at my hands with new thoughts, and a shaky breath.

_Was I not a normal human either?_ It didn't make any sense; I never saw Paula or Ness pull off something like that... My eyes drifted to my watch, which read 11:30 pm. My eyes widened.

_Ness was still alone in this huge city_, I suddenly thought. I slammed the door open with my foot, grabbed my bag, and half walked, half limped my way out of the alley. Just where was I? I looked around me; none of the street lights were on in this section. When I looked into the sky, it seemed cloudy, as if it was about to rain. While I walked, and scanned the area, my eyes landed on the receiver phone again. I picked it up, and noticed that it was still on. I wasn't sure why, but I spoke into it.

"Hello?" I asked. I heard snoring on the other line.

"_Hello?"_ I tried again, but I was only greeted by another loud obnoxious snore. I rolled my eyes, and hung up the phone. I could only trust that the location he told me was the correct one. I was on my way; walking as swiftly as my body could manage. I hoped so bad that there weren't any other abnormal ravaging cars out to kill me. Most of all, I could only hope that Ness was still alright...

---

When I saw the Monotoli building in the distance, I knew I was approaching the department store. _The same place where Ness and I got our first taste of what was yet to come, I guessed._ What made me somewhat more paranoid was that the area I was venturing though wasn't clean, or fresh. I was in the slums, and more people were out than I had hoped for. Ness wasn't in this ghetto, was he? I thought to myself as I examined the multiple graffiti symbols sprayed on the walls. The place was unwelcoming... at least to me.

I could feel people looking at me from every corner. I just hoped that none of them were people like Demetri... like Pokey Minch. It started to rain, and I felt more mentally lost and worn down than ever. I finally hit a big and long brick wall, decorated with even more graffiti, or murals that were in decipherable and had made no sense whatsoever. The planted trees and patches of grasses attempted to bring life, but its efforts were in vein. Though it was strange... the more I walked along this wall, more unwelcome I felt, and it was more than just the illegible words on the bricks, there was something... something not visible, but I started to feel it, not only in my bones but deep in my soul. I didn't realize how lost I really was in my thoughts, until I actually bumped into someone. The person stopped, and gave me a skeptical look.

"I'm sorry," I told him. The man sighed.

"It's alright." He replied. I nodded silently as I turned to walk off again, but the man's voice brought me to a halt.

"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, but doesn't this wall give off an eerie feeling, like you don't belong?" He asked. I slowly nodded. How ironic was that. The man shrugged.

"I always stroll by here to figure out why. I think there's something beyond the wall further down, though I'm not quite sure, but after a while, I realized one thing: This isn't my place. Maybe it's not your place either. Just be careful where you go, but keep searching; you'll find your place someday," He said before walking away. His words mesmerized me, like the man that sold me the daisies.

"Hey," I said. The man stopped, and looked at me again.

"... Have you seen a boy around my age? He has black hair, sometimes he wears a red cap and a blue and yellow stripped shirt," I said. The man raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure about the details, but I think I remember a strange young boy by himself sitting somewhere along this wall. He'd be further down if he's still there, but other than that, I'm very sorry. Let's both hope that you'll find him soon," He told me before he was off again. I frowned to myself as I departed my own way.

The wall was longer than I thought. I passed by a money beggar, and a creepy man that looked to be a drug dealer, but I kept my eyes from them, only to try and search for a sign, any sign of Ness. I could see the wall curve around, and the department store was not too far away either. The end of the wall had the most writing on it; though it was kind of hard to tell with the three trees in the way. When I finally reached it however, and scanned my eyes, I froze.

The strange feeling was back, stronger than ever, and had urged me to leave. But the sight of a young boy, sitting with his knees drawn to his chest and his face buried kept my feet planted. The back pack that sat next to him was definitely... I paced up to him; the rain started to become more noticeable. My heart started to pound as I stood in front of the lonely boy.

_"... Ness?"_ I asked with a low quiet voice. Ness's shoulders twitched when I said his name. However, he didn't lift his face from his knees.

"... Ness, please say something, it's me Jeff..." I said, feeling my voice crack. I hadn't spoken to him since before I spoke to Pokey. I awaited his reply eagerly, though he kept himself silent for a little longer. I let off a sigh. It was faint, but I could have sworn that he muttered something in his knees.

"... _You left me..._" I thought I heard him say. I didn't know how to respond; I couldn't possibly tell him that I went to speak to Pokey by myself, could I?

"I..." I couldn't form words on my lips. Ness turned his head to look to his left. I frowned at this. Though I was happy that he managed to leave before anything obscure happened at the hospital, it didn't stop my moment of anger.

_"Look._ I went to get some fresh air, alright? There wasn't any reason why you had to wander out of the hospital like that, especially in the critical condition you're in right now," I spoke to him semi harshly. He squeezed his knees tighter again. I became mad at this gesture.

_"Ness, I was worried sick about where you would have gone to, do you realize that when I returned to the hospital, your room was trashed?! I searched about half of the damn city for you, and it was only thanks to Apple Kid that I was able to find you in this bizarre location!" _I explained. Ness shivered from my spurt of anger, and shook his head; face still buried.

_"I mean, what would happen if you were ever caught, or got in danger if you were by yourself, or-"_

"Go ahead; yell at me, and tell me how I'm wrong, and you're right," He said back stubbornly. I frowned angrily.

_"I never meant it like that, alright?!"_ I told him. There was a pause between us; the rain and distant thunder replaced the awkward silence.

_"... Why did you leave me...?"_ He spoke with a different emotion. I had no idea what to say from then on. That was all he needed to say to counteract my words. If I was there by the hospital, maybe he'd be alright, and I would have done something to prevent anything from happening. I frowned in self pity.

_"Ness, we need to get you back to the hospital..._" I told him. Ness shook his head violently.

"I don't wanna go back there; I don't feel safe there. I feel safe sitting right here..." He told me. I gave him a skeptical look.

"What are you talking about? This area of town is in the same critical condition as you're in, and it's on the outskirts of the slums. How could you possibly feel safe here, nonetheless you're only a few blocks away from the Monotoli building!" I told him. Ness shook his head. There was that moment of pause again.

_"You don't understand... what this place means to me,"_ He spoke in a hushed tone. Thought provoking words; I thought back to what the man recently told me. It was neither his place nor mine. Was there a possibility that this was Ness's place?"

_Were we near one of his sanctuary locations?_

_"... Beyond this wall, I'm sure of it._ I'll be there someday..." He said. I was silent at first, but eventually sighed in defeat. I walked besides him on that wall, and sat next to him, letting off a hefty sigh, and bringing my elbows to rest on my knees. I didn't know how long we sat there in the rain next to each other; Ness still didn't have the nerve to look at me for some reason. He didn't need to be the one that felt so; I should have been the one to be ashamed to look.

_"I'm sorry... Ness..._" I heard myself say to him in a quiet tone filled with sympathy and fear. I could never understand how he felt at that moment; it was strange, because I had never witnessed Ness acting this way before. When I finally looked over to him, he looked back at me with tired dull eyes that didn't stand out in the rain one bit. My pants were beginning to get wet, so I was sure it was going to leave an embarrassing stain. I tried looking at him for as long as I could, until I broke the eye contact. I drifted my eyes in the opposite direction; hearing the sky roar in the distance as I did so.

_"... I wanna go home,"_ He whined quietly. I brought my sight back to him again.

_"... I miss my dog, my bed, by base ball card collection... Tracy... I miss Mom... so much..." _He sounded scared, dragging his knees to his chin. _"This is stupid... why am I even out here, when I can't even bare to live miles away from home? I'll never grow up..." _I furrowed my eyebrows, looking in the distance.

"I miss my school in the same way. Sometimes I can't even bear it, and I feel completely lost. Sometimes, I imagine him... and my friends laughing and smiling. It may not be enough, and it may sound silly, but it's enough to get me back up on my feet again. But in the moments and times when I'm lost, and I can't find my way, I remember that I'm not the only one. Like you told me earlier today... we'll be lost together, right?" I said looking at him smiling softly. Ness looked somewhat bewildered when I spoke. However, it was replaced again with his depressing dull eyes.

"My side still hurts, and it's sort of hard for me to move..." He explained. I frowned at his response.

"But I don't wanna go to the hospital... I get anxious, and it's lonely there..." I thought for a moment.

"Do you want to head back to the hostel then? I'll help you crutch there..." I offered. It took a little bit for him to respond, but he eventually nodded. I just hoped that heading to the hostel was a good decision. I just hoped that Demetri's group wasn't there still.

"Just... let me stay here for a little while longer... overall I feel safer here, but you're right, we need to get out of this rain," He said. So we waited; for at least five more minutes in silence. I managed to pull out his red and blue cap from his bag, and set it on his head. He flashed his eyes towards mine. I flashed him a soft cheeky smile.

"You may want this till we get there," I told him. He nodded without smiling, which made me loose mine as well. I didn't think he'd be forgiving me that night.

"Alright... let's go, I guess," He spoke softly. I nodded, and stood up, not realizing that my joints and muscles still ached from the incident from the taxi. I groaned from the reaction.

"Are you alright?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told him as I picked up his bag, and tossed it over my shoulder. Ness used the wall for support, as I awkwardly helped him up with his free hand. He seemed to wobble at first as he leaned back on the wall.

"Alright... let's go..." He said quietly. I nodded. It turned out that this his was very awkward for the both of us, especially when we started to walk away slowly, shoulder to shoulder; neither of us daring to make any sort of physical contact. However, when we stepped onto the sidewalk, Ness lost a bit of his balance and had almost threw me off as well. Instead of falling back down on our faces, we happened to grab onto each other, almost for dear life. In a couple of seconds, we caught our balance again. However, it seemed as if neither of us wanted to let go as we started to walk again not for the sake of closeness, but the fact that we didn't want to take any nasty tumbles. When we started to walk passed that dreaded Monotoli building I was just in a few hours ago, Ness stopped us.

_"Do you hear that?"_ He asked. I listened as best I could through the rain. It took a while, but I noticed it. It was a familiar tune, faint, but real. When I realized what it was, I nearly slapped my hand over my eyes.

_"You've __**got**__ to be kidding me..."_ I spoke angrily as the cameraman floated down from the dark cloudy sky.

_"It's __**twelve**__ in the __**morning!**__"_ I ranted out loud. However, he ignored my words, and started rambling. Both of us growled in frustration, and shot our eyes away in opposite directions. What made the scenario especially embarrassing was that both of us were still in physical contact.

_"Picturestakeninstantaneously ,I'maphotographicgeniusifIdosaysomyself!! Get ready to make some instant memories! Ready? Say... __**FUZZY PICKLES!!**_" When I brought up my middle finger, so did Ness, as we glared at the camera man angrily. We were temporarily blind.

_**"WOW!**__ What a __**GREAT PHOTOGRAPH!!**__ It will __**ALWAYS **__bring back the __**FONDEST**__ of __**MEMORIES!!"**_ He sang happily as he flew back up to his blimp in the sky. Ness snorted.

"Sometimes, I really think he's a pedophile," Ness said. I snorted in response.

"Oh god, let's hope _not_," I chuckled as we made our way again; alone together in the middle of the night.

---

When we entered the hostel again, we embraced the little heat that was offered to our drenching skin. The same man was at the counter, but asleep. When we walked up, he woke up. Nonetheless, he looked shocked to see us.

"_Jeez_, it's twelve in the morning! You two are sopping wet! Uhh... wasn't there a young girl with you two as well?" He asked us. At first we fumbled with the question, until I came up with the best lie I could on the spot.

"You see, she was lost, and we were able to find her mother yesterday, so she's safe with her now," I winced with my lie. I didn't care what she told me in my dreams, she wasn't safe. The man nodded slowly.

"Alright... so I can only guess you two need a place to stay during the night, am I right? Here's your key... and please, feel free to take some fresh sheets and towels up there too," He said pointing to the clean white pile of towels in the corner. We both nodded, and took what he offered, and headed up to our room.

However, after we walked up the first flight of stairs, we were already out of breath. Ness nearly gasped when he spoke.

"_Let's take the elevator instead,"_ He said. I nodded as we both walked inside to stand patiently as we would be carried up to our desired floor. There was another awkward silence between us. It just didn't seem the same without Paula... It was ironic when Ness spoke.

"I wonder how Paula is doing right now..." Ness asked. I sighed.

"Just hope that she's better off than we are," I replied. Ness nodded silently as the elevator doors opened up. With that, we headed to our room.

The room was just the way we left it, my blanket folded neatly while Ness's was crumbled and scrunched up. I took off my glasses, and shook my hair around. _I was a mess,_ I thought. But so was Ness, I presumed. Ness sighed.

"I'm so tired... but I'm hungry more than anything..." He said, grabbing a towel and rubbed his hair with it. Come to think of it... so was I.

"Do you have anything edible left in your bag?" I asked. Ness shook his head.

"Nah..." He replied almost sheepishly.

"We'll see what they have together," I said, grabbing a towel.

---

Apparently Demetri's group was absent in the hostel so far. _Thank goodness,_ I thought as we rummaged through the fridge. All there was were a couple of bottles of water, and a bitten apple in the fridge. On the pantry, there was only a half empty bag of potato chips and a box of cereal. Nonetheless, we shamelessly claimed everything except the bitten apple. Ness took off his hat, and set it on the counter to shake his hair loose, and run his towel though it.

"I ache all over..." He said. I nodded.

"So do I... just not as bad as you I bet," I replied. Ness 'hmmed' in response. I frowned.

"How's that gash in your side healing?" I asked. Ness yawned, and lifted part of his shirt to examine it.

"I'm not sure... it's sore, but it's not gushing out anything. I'll be sure to heal it up in the morning," He explained, as we started to depart from the kitchen.

"That's good," I said, almost too quietly. Both of us forgot about Ness's red cap on the counter.

---

Apparently we were too tired to speak to each other, but at the same time we could not sleep. It was times like these I figured I'd work on some personal projects. I dug out my supplies as I heard Ness crunching on a couple of chips while lying down, and staring off into space. It was during this calm, yet somewhat depressing silence that the receiver phone went off again.

"Oh... you still have the phone, do you?" Ness asked.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have found you without it, thanks," I said as I answered the phone.

"Hello?" I assumed that this had to be either Apple Kid, but when the voice on the other line spoke he didn't sound anything like him. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Hey, is this right? May I speak to Jeff?" He asked. I was slow at responding.

"... This is him," I spoke warily into the phone.

"Jeff Andonuts, _right?"_

_"Yeah..."_ When he spoke again, I thought my head was going to explode.

_"Hey __**bad boy**__**,**__ I finally tracked you down!"_ _**Oh my god...**_

_**"MAXWELL, IS THAT YOU?!**_" I practically jumped up in the air. I was sure Ness flinched from my sudden spurt of energy.

_**"Hah, you bet your ass it is,"**_ Maxwell replied. I was speechless... _how the hell did he get a hold of me?!_

"_Wha- how did you?!" _I was out of words. Maxwell laughed on the other line.

"Apple Kid? We were college buds back in the day; I'm just surprised that I never told you! He was always the smarter one though," He told me. "Anyhow, enough of that, I wanna know what you're up to, bad boy, did you meet him?" He said, almost in a darker tone. I was silent at first as I cast my eyes towards Ness, who looked back at me with eyebrows perked.

"Hold on for a second," I told him.

"I'll be right back Ness, I'm going to let you sleep. I'll be just at the end of the hallway if you need anything, okay?" I told him. Ness nodded almost sleepily.

"Go ahead," He said almost in a monotone manner. I frowned at first, but I offered a soft smile.

"I'll be back... I promise," I told him, as I walked out of the room. When I ventured down to the other end of the hallway, I brought the phone to my ear.

"Are you still there?" I asked.

"_Nah,_ I'm in the restroom now. I was talking to you in my science room before," He replied. I snickered to myself.

"Still as obnoxious as you always were I see," I said. I heard Maxwell grunt on the other line in response.

"And you're still out, kicking some ass I presume? Tell me, I'm dying to know, have you gotten into any trouble with the cops yet?" He asked. I raised my eyebrow.

"No, not really," I replied. Maxwell laughed again.

"Alright, I guess we should get a little more serious now. So tell me... _did you meet him?_" I winced at his question. My frown turned into gritting of the teeth.

_"Yeah..."_ I replied with a snarl. Maxwell 'hmmed' on the other line.

"He didn't acknowledge me at all... _I don't think he would have recognized me if I didn't hint him on..._"

"What did he do?" He asked. In all honesty, I really didn't know.

"He really didn't do anything... he helped me reach my companions with his strange invention..." I replied. Maxwell gasped.

_"Did you fly in his sky runner?!_" He replied with new excitement in his voice. I rolled my eyes, and fell silent.

"Alright alright, we'll stop talking about your father. So... who are you with now?" He asked. I looked down to my feet.

"Right now, I'm with a boy my age... his name is Ness," I told him. Maxwell replied with another grunt.

"Just the two of you right now?"

"Yeah... pretty much," I replied. Maxwell snickered.

"I'm sure Tony would be jealous if he found out. Don't worry, I won't tell him that you're traveling with others, especially kids around your age group," He replied. When he mentioned Tony into the conversation, traces of Pokey's words flashed back in my memory.

_"Ahh yes! Now I remember... __**his name was Tony**__."_ Pokey spoke in my mind. I brought my hand to my forehead.

"Maxwell, you need to check on Tony right now... it's very urgent," I told him. There was a small pause.

"Why? You didn't put him into any trouble, did you?" He asked. _Fuck... it wasn't that..._

_"Would you just check for me, please?"_ I asked seriously. Maxwell replied with a negative sound.

"As much as I would love to help you out, I can't do so at this hour, only if it's an emergency. But I'm pretty positive that Tony's alright; he wasn't sick at all today in class, and he even smiled today," He explained. I growled in frustration.

_"You don't understand! This __**is**__ an emergency, so __**please**__, can you-"_

_**"JEFF!!!"**_

My eyes widened in horror as I heard Ness scream my name from the distance. It sent shivers down my spine, I had never heard Ness sound so scared in my life. I immediately hung up the phone, and dashed to our room, in which Ness was absent from when I reached it. I started to panic as I dashed my way to the last place we were in; _the kitchen_.

When I bolted into the room, I froze when I spotted Ness. I was appalled to find him petrified, against the back wall, cornered by Demetri, and two of his snickering friends. It was enough to fuel the burning fire inside of me.

"_**Get the fuck away from him!"**_ I yelled walking swiftly up to them, and pushing them aside, to grab Ness's wrist. However, Demetri swatted me away forcefully with a huff. I almost tumbled to the floor. It was then that his two friends grabbed my arms forcefully to keep me locked into place.

"You should really learn not to intrude into other's business, _Einstein,"_ He snickered keeping dangerously close to Ness. I snarled at him.

_"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US IN THE FIRST PLACE?! AND __**WHY**__ HAVE YOU KEPT YOUR EYE ON NESS ALL THIS TIME?!" _I roared at him angrily. I was sure that Ness had never seen me this angry, ever. Demetri flashed me his golden tooth in a disgusting fashion.

"Huh, I don't need _you_, of course. However... _Ness_ here would be some perfect assistance to me and my needs," He said flashing his leering eyes down to him. Ness looked to be in a state of shock as he pushed himself into the back counter. The way that Demetri leaned over Ness left me shaking. Demetri cupped his chin.

_"Let him __**go...**_ _let us-"_ My voice had shaken up, but it didn't matter. One of the goons that gripped me covered my mouth tightly.

_"Just shut up, and watch the magic,"_ He replied as he seemingly gazed into Ness's eyes. Ness looked away timidly, squinting his eyes. I tried fighting their grip, but it was no use as the other wrapped an arm around my throat forcefully. _He wouldn't do that... __**not around me, he woudn't...**_

_"Look_ into my eyes," He said, shaking Ness's head around until he obeyed. When Ness looked up at the magician; I was surprised to find no tears when he did so, but he still looked petrified.

_Pokey really did scar him... didn't he?_ There was a tense silence in the room.

_"Your eyes are something I've never seen before... there's a mysterious beauty in them. _I can usually figure entities out; just by gazing into their eyes, but yours... _it's as if I'm staring into the Milky Way... _ Tell me, what do you see when you gaze into mine?" He asked. Ness was silent.

"I..." It was shocking how calm Demetri seemed to be all the sudden.

"Please tell the truth... you can say they're disgusting, or anything... I need to know," He told him calmly. Ness winced as Demetri ran his thumb across his chin. There was a silence in the room. I felt their grips loosening on me, just slightly, and my mouth had been uncovered. Ness's eyes opened up slightly.

_"What do you see?" _

"... _You're not human..._" He finally said. My eyes widened. I saw the edge of his mouth curve up into a wicked smile.

"Tell me, _you know what's causing the mayhem in this city, don't you?"_ He asked. Ness bit his bottom lip.

"The... _Mani Mani statue...?"_ He asked. Demetri grinned again.

_"I'm its rightful owner after all," _He finally said. My eyes widened.

_"You're __**are**__ a part of what's going on, __**aren't you?!"**_ I asked irately. Except, I didn't realize it was such a bad idea to speak up until one of his goons kicked me forcefully in the gut. I fell onto my forearms, choking and hacking from the pain that exploded in my stomach. Ness gasped.

_"Please don't hurt him,"_ Ness asked.

"Don't get distracted, and we won't hurt him again," Demetri replied. There was a moment of silence. _Yet again, I felt completely useless..._

_"You... you're the Mani Mani statue's owner?"_ Ness asked. Demetri frowned down at me.

"The Mani Mani statue is more than an object. _It is a part of myself that I cannot let go._ I was petrified when it was taken from me that terrible day. It's been stolen by many; greed filling their souls once they harness it. Do you know why the Mani Mani statue keeps changing locations?" He asked.

"Because... it keeps getting stolen?" Ness asked. Demetri sighed.

"It would be logical if that were true, but the truth is that no one can control the evil inhabited within the statue. No one except me of course," He spoke as he cornered Ness again.

"It is a statue... that brings out the evil of every human being. But you and I... we can see passed it, can't we...?" He asked Demetri asked. Ness fell silent, and slowly shook his head.

"I'm not sure who owns it now... but with your help, I can find it, and take back what is rightfully mine," He said before snickering to himself. I managed to look up at them again. Ness's eyebrows furrowed.

_"No..._ I can't help you. I'm sorry," He replied. Demetri frowned.

_"And why __**not?"**_ He asked. Ness looked timid again.

"I'm not afraid to say that I don't like the look in your eyes. The Mani Mani statue must be destroyed. I won't help you find it just so you can claim it back as your own," Ness said. There was a tense silence in the room. I could see Demetri ball up his fists.

_"You don't understand... let me clarify, that you __**will**__ help me get it back,"_ Demetri threatened. I was about to make another move until I got kicked in the ribs. I fell onto the floor, gasping for air; my glasses fell out of line.

"**No**... I won't help you," Ness simply stated again. I struggled up until I was grabbed by the throat again. Demetri snarled.

_**"You will help me!**_" He snarled.

"I won't."

_**"I WILL KILL YOUR FRIEND IF YOU DON'T HELP ME, YOU GOT THAT?!"**_ He threatened. There was silence in the room. My heart started to pound. Ness and I exchanged glances; the fear in his eyes was real; I was sure I expressed the same thing. Ness looked back up to Demetri, who frankly seemed shaken up as well. Ness's eyes widened.

_"Do you know where Paula is?"_ Ness asked. It was at this precise moment that someone bolted into the room. It happened to be the man that ran the counter downstairs.

"I heard some yelling up here, and I figured you three were up to no good. Put the kid down, and get out of this building. We don't offer beds to self righteous freaks like you," He said; voice shaking, and holding out what looked to be a bottle of pepper spray and a cell phone. Demetri grinned.

"And just what do you plan to do with that?" He asked tauntingly.

"I'll call the police if you don't get out of here right now," He said timidly. Demetri seemed to angrily ponder about, taking another look at Ness. It seemed like moments; minutes until he finally made his turn.

_"You have not seen the last of me..."_ He spoke before a certain smoke exploded in the room. All of us coughed until the smoke resided. When the air was clear again, Demetri was nowhere in sight. However, his goons still had their paws on me. The man pointed his pepper spray at them.

_"You two, get out, __**now!"**_ He ordered, as they dashed away like chickens without a second thought. When all was clear, Ness swore under his breath, and fell to his knees. I attempted to get up as I physically wrestled the new pain in my mid section. I was sure that they were going to leave a couple of nasty bruises. We were both silent, sitting on the checkered floor. My eyes found Ness's cap sitting on the floor in the distance.

"You two going to be alright?" The man asked us. I didn't turn my head, but I heard Ness moments later speak up.

"Yes... we'll be alright thank you..." Ness replied.

"Alright... you guys win this night over for free, so don't expect a bill in the morning," He said as he walked out of the room. _Well that was nice of him, _I thought. We were both silent; neither of us could speak. We were frankly too shaken up to do a thing.

"... _Jeff?_..." He finally asked me. I looked at him, I wasn't sure what I was expressing, but Ness obviously didn't like it. Ness looked away from me. I let off a strangled sigh, and attempted to get to my feet. _I was so exhausted, but not sleepy,_ I thought.

"Let's get back into our room," I finally said. Ness slowly nodded, and helped himself up, picking up his hat along the way.

_This was going to be a long night..._

---

I was in so much pain, but it hurt to lie down, thanks to the pain in my ribs and stomach. So instead, all I could do was mess with my props, and figure something out in the time being. I wanted to fix my laser gun that had stopped working while we went against the spook in the department store. From the mere silence, I could have sworn that Ness had fallen asleep. It had been an hour since the incident with Demetri. The things he shared with us that night left me somewhat dumbstruck. He explained things, but at the same time, he left a huge gap of possibilities. Was he good or bad? Did he have anything to do with Pokey Minch? Monotoli? _Paula?_ What exactly did Ness see in Demetri, and why did it make him ask about Paula Polestar? But most of all...

..._ What did Demetri see when he gazed into his eyes?_

_"Jeff...?"_ Ness spoke softly. Though he spoke quietly, it still startled me enough to flinch.

"Huh?" I grunted.

"... It's late, what are you doing up?" He asked me. I sighed, but I was unresponsive. I wasn't sure at the time why I didn't want to speak to him; I guess it was because I was too tired for words. I must have sent the wrong message to Ness in response. When Ness spoke again, he sounded nervous.

"... _Are you mad at me...?_" He asked. I turned my head to face him in surprised, my eyes were open, but they felt like collapsing any moment.

"... Wha-?" I replied. Ness sat on the edge of his bed and he fumbled with his fingers.

"I... I figured that they were gone, and I forgot my hat in the kitchen, so I went to retrieve it. That's when they tried cornering me..." He spoke. I furrowed my eyebrows. He kept his eyes from mine.

"_... I'm really sorry... this is all my fault..."_ He said. Ness had started shivering now, and it wasn't natural. He was only fourteen... and he's already been through so much more crap than I probably would ever go through.

_ "...What did you do to him?" I asked Pokey._

_"I was his best friend for many years... I've memorized every inch of him that I could. You could compare me with a scientist in that sense... always searching for the answers you can grasp..."_

_**"What did you do to him?!"**__ I growled in hostility. _

_"Well... not enough to steal his virginity, but definitely enough to take part of his innocence as my own," _Pokey replied cockily in my memories.

I hated looking at him like this, but what could I offer to turn that frown upside down?

"No... it's not your fault," I told him. Ness finally looked at me, I caught him by surprise. Though for some reason, it still looked like he wanted to cry.

_"We're both disgusting, aren't we?"_ Pokey said again in my mind.

"You shouldn't feel threatened every waking moment of your life. You should be growing up like a regular kid should, and be living contently with your family. You did nothing wrong... _nothing is your fault,"_ I stated to him before I tried putting my mind back to my mechanics. It was hard though, for Ness was still silently watching me. It was sort of irritating in a sense. Ness must have slid off the bed to join me on the floor, though I wasn't sure what he would do or say. My back was facing him at the time

_"But... nothing's your fault either..."_ He told me. _Lies.__.._

"What are you talking about?" I asked, almost irately as I reached for a nearby ruler.

"Well... it wasn't your fault that I went off by myself, away from the hospital..." I sighed.

_"And it wasn't your fault for feeling __**at**__ fault of leaving in the first place,"_ I told him. I must have confused him with my choice of words, for he didn't say much more on the topic of fault.

"What are you working on?" He asked me. I sighed.

"I'm just trying to fix my laser gun... that's all," I told him.

"Oh..." He stopped in mid sentence. I wasn't sure if he was trying to say anything or not.

"Is there any way I can help?" He asked me. In all honesty, there was no way he could help me; this was complicated things and gimmicks that I had to be silent with in order for me to think straight. And the fact that Ness kept interrupting my thinking didn't help either. I grazed my hand around me in attempt to search for a certain screw driver I needed at that precise moment.

"Yeah... could you help me find my screw driver? It should have an orange handle..." I told him in a monotone voice. Ness grunted in response as I assumed he was searching himself. I double checked in my red tool case, but it was nowhere to be found. I didn't know how long it took until we actually found it. I was sure that I was the first to find it, which would have been typical. I saw the orange handle at the corner of my eye, and my hand darted out to immediately grab it...

... But instead of grabbing the screwdriver, I grabbed Ness's hand. We both flinched from the sudden contact as I immediately let go. We paused in front of each other. _ The silence grew between us._ I finally broke the awkward ice by claiming my orange screw driver, letting off a shrill sigh in the process. "Thanks..." I barely said. It was silent between us as I continued with my work.

"I'm going to use the rest room and brush my teeth," Ness told me before slowly standing up to head on in. I didn't know why, but when I thought back at the incident, my heart skipped a beat. I didn't quite understand, _why was I acting so quiet and withdrawn around him all the sudden?_ We were both guys with issues, right? I could only assume that Ness felt bad for me, especially after exploiting him about my past. I didn't understand...

_How could anyone feel bad for me?_ My thoughts trailed to our conversation in the hospital room when I sobbed in front of him.

_"...Even if I didn't want or need to hear it... you needed to say it, right?" Ness told me in my memories in the hospital, smiling faintly, but visibly._

My heart skipped another beat.

_"So... Jeff... isn't he gorgeous?" My breath caught._

_"What... who are you talking about?" I asked in a softer tone of voice._

_"Why... Ness of course."_

_"I don't understand what you're talking about..."_

_"Oh... I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I'm talking about."_ Pokey rambled in my mind.

My heart skipped a beat.

_"What's so funny?" _I asked stubbornly back at the incident when I offered him the bundle of daisies_. _

_"Hey... I can always return them if you don't like them!" I said. However, he still laughed. It wasn't even taunting... it was happy. He gathered the daisies together, and brought them to his nose. My features softened when he spoke._

_"You really didn't have to, you know..."_ Ness spoke happily in my mind.

My heart skipped another beat.

_"You're disgusting,"_ Pokey told me with all honesty.

I heard the door open behind me; Ness must have been done in the restroom. I dared myself to turn around; to face him. When I did, he was just buttoning up his blue vertical pin striped pajama top.

"Well, I'm exhausted right now, so I think I'm going to go to sleep now," He said as he started to make his way towards his bunk; towards me. I was about to agree with him if it wasn't for the fact that he clumsily slipped on one of my scattered tools on the floor. It happened so fast... My eyes widened, as he took a nasty topple...

...while managing to push me down along with him. My back and stomach burst in pain from the head on collision after Ness had somehow managed to fall right on top of me. I hissed from my aching joints and bruises, both from the car crash and the kicks. Ness must have been too weak to move much, for he was still above me. My heart started to pound rapidly. When I was finally able to open my eyes, my glasses were somewhat out of line. I wasn't sure where Ness's head was located, but I got a good idea when he groaned and started to stir. I think both of us froze in time when Ness lifter his head over.

It was by accident, but it somehow happened. His nose barely grazed my own, and it was at this precise moment that our eyes went wide. My heart raced now, as his face; his lips were only millimeters away from my own. I could smell the mint of his toothpaste from his breath. I wasn't sure what my own breath smelt like, but neither of us moved, though I didn't think we of us could physically move on our own either. But despite all that... all that went through my mind at the time were his eyes...

_Those mysterious eyes that I had always tried to avoid.__.._ My previous description of them was wrong, they weren't just blue, but they were a mere mixture of pure silver, and I could spot speckles of violet in them as well. They were a glow, and for once, I agreed with Demetri...

_His eyes were like the Milky Way... and you could get lost in them forever..._

_"...Ness...?"_ I spoke awkwardly feeling my voice become heavy. Ness breathed onto my lips from a timid reaction to the entire senario which left me shivering; I had never been this close to anyone like this in my entire life... not with Tony... not with my own mother after I was born. My mind was starting to shatter. The added weight on my body was too much to bear at the moment; I needed to breathe.

"_...You can... get off me now..."_ I told him. Ness nodded in response. However, he didn't move.

"_I can't... it hurts..."_ He replied. I could only grunt slightly in response.

"I'll... help you... I guess..." I spoke awkwardly, shyly bringing my arms to his shoulders while my eyes squinted in pure embarrassment. We slowly rose clumsily together, I was sure that both of our bodies protested. When we finally were off the floor, I noticed how red Ness's face looked.

_"Sorry... about that..."_ He uttered quietly, as he made his way back to the bed. I nodded silently in response, looking the other way. I wondered when his PSI abilities would return to him, maybe if he got a little more rest. We said nothing to each other for the rest of the night. I couldn't focus anymore, so I tried the same, and got under the covers of my own bunk bed. I felt so tired; and worn down. It was already nearing 3:00 in the morning. I didn't know how I would be able to greet the sunshine when I'd wake up...

_And we still had to meet that Everdred in the morning..._

I could only argue with myself in my thoughts. I blankly stared up at the top bunk, and attempted to read the writing that inhabited it without the aid of my glasses. The lack of clear sight probably created new words and phrases with the writing that was there. _It reminded me of what Tony and I had to go through back in school..._

_"You're disgusting,"_ Pokey kept repeating in my mind. I winced as I tried closing my eyes. Maybe I'd think of different thoughts if I tried hard enough.

_However, the only things that came to my mind were Pokey's hurtful words and Ness's irises that I had tried oh so very hard to avoid..._

_...My heart never went back down to normal speed that night..._


	13. edisnooM

**A/N: Harhar, **Thank you again, YukuTiszuki, NetusVersatus, Tekirai-chan, Lea, Pure-White-Angel22, Orkidee, and Sashie for the nice reviews on the last chapter X3 And thank you, mOOnCanDY, for the very thoughtful funny review! X3 It made me feel fuzzy inside! XDD

And as well, thank you to everyone that still reads my fiction and enjoys it, I love you all. XP

Well anyways, this chapter is kind of a transition in a way. It was kind of hard at first to decide what to do with this, so I did this chapter as best as I could! 8O I hope it turned out alright X3 But like always, critique is welcome, and if you see any errors, please let me know. 83

So we're finally reaching that certain special moment of the game. X3 I'm pretty excited I've actually gotten this far with this fic XD

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

XxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxX

_I was late Friday afternoon, and I was fried, both physically and mentally. A lot of people didn't understand how I could handle it; me constantly working hard, while some of the others made fun of me for it. Nonetheless I always snapped whenever anyone mentioned my father, but I guess that was why most of them bugged me so much. It was different that day however, when they mentioned my mother. I snarled, and had actually thrown my fist across their face. They still laughed, though their nose drained the blood from their dim witted head. Let's just say that I was awarded with overtime with Maxwell after school._

_"Jeff, Jeff, this needs to stop. By the time the school year ends, everyone will have a label on their forehead saying 'I got punched in the face by Jeff Andonuts'," Maxwell told me as I sat in the back desk, cross armed and glaring out in the distance though the window. I responded with a snort. Maxwell sighed. _

_"I know it must be hard for you to handle; none of us really know what really happened between you and your father, but the more you pout about him, the more people are going to notice, and it's only going to fuel the fire." He paused for me to speak, but I didn't say anything until he resumed what he was doing._

_"I don't really know why... I just can't stand people... __**praising**__ him..." I cringed as I spoke. Maxwell was the only other one that had any sort of idea what I was talking about; for I never dared to talk to Tony about it._

_"Tony doesn't, if there's anyone he praises, it's you," He replied with a chuckle. I curved my mouth down slightly._

_"You should go back to your dorm now... get some rest, and clear out that thick skull of yours for a little bit." He told me with a crooked smile. I couldn't respond with anything else than a nod, and left him. He knew I told him thanks just by doing so._

_---_

_"Jeff, that's the __**third**__ time this week that you've snapped at someone, nonetheless today you punched someone in the nose?!" Tony ranted at me with a raised voice; like a wife complaining to her husband. I rolled my eyes._

_"Off the subject, Tony," I replied dropping my things and plopping on my bed._

_"No, I'm not going off the subject! If this keeps happening, they might decide to kick you out of school!" He exclaimed. I grumbled with my face smothered in my pillow; my glasses pinching my freckled face. _

_"If they do, then so be it, it'll be my time to finally leave. I'm pretty sure I can live by myself," I replied, though I wasn't sure if my words were clear enough. Tony sighed._

_"__**You're hopeless...**__" I shouldn't have, but I became angry at his choice of words. I shot up, feeling my glasses fall out of line._

_"__**So you're going to be like everyone else now? You going to tell me how pathetic I am, and how 'great' that bastard is?!"**__ I raised my voice. Tony frowned at me._

_"I never mentioned your father, alright?! Maybe if you realized that the entire world doesn't revolve around your father, than you'd be a lot more calm, and people would learn to appreciate you more!" Tony argued back._

_"You don't understand how tough it is for me, I work my __**ass**__ off on a daily basis, a lot of people, even __**teachers**__ come to me whenever they need any help, yet all they can say to me are questions and compliments about... __**him**__..." I ran out of breath, and I could feel my chest becoming heavy. "It doesn't matter what I do, what kind of face I put on, instead of thanking me, they'll always thank that bastard. Instead of thanking me for helping them, they'll thank him for __**creating**__ me..." I felt like breaking down then and there. There was quite a bit of silence between us throughout the night after I said that. It was around the time when we were laying in bed, the topic still hot on our minds that he finally said something._

_"Maybe if you just be yourself... then people will finally see the real side of you... the side I love to see after all."_

_---_

_"Where are you going so early on a Saturday morning?" Tony asked me as I straightened my tie._

_"Mm' gonna go visit Maxwell for a little bit... that's all," I replied smiling softly back at him. I think he knew that I appreciated what he told me the previous night. Tony brushed a red curly lock out of his eyes, and looked into my own while sitting on his bed. The way he did so, made my cheeks feel warm. Tony sighed hopelessly._

_"Lemme see those glasses..." He smiled, standing up, and seizing them without my permission. I became dumbfounded temporarily by the blurry sight before me. After a moment, Tony had slipped them back on passed my ears. He smiled at me cheekily. I felt bashful when I left._

_"Thank you," I told him._

_---_

_"Why you here so early? Did you clear out your head a bit?" He asked me. I flashed him a semi smile._

_"Sort of," I replied. Maxwell sighed._

_"Well that's a start. Did you want to talk a little bit?" He asked; rummaging through his desk drawers as some of his mousy brown bangs fell into his hazel eyes._

_"Well... I guess so," I replied. Now that I was there, I wasn't sure why I had even come in the first place. Maxwell pulled out what looked like to be photos and walked over to me._

_"Wanna see my girlfriend?" He snickered tossing me the small bundle of photos. I nearly blushed at the time, but I decided to take a look at them; it was rare for the boys of SnowWood to get a glimpse of any kind of girl, besides the ones that attended the girls boarding school, and it was like candy if you did._

_"Isn't she like someone you'd like to meet someday?" He said as he worked on other things. The girl in the photos was pretty, not as pretty as my mother was, but she was definitely enough to make me flush. She was Asian, flawless smooth looking skin and long black hair and she wore glasses. Nonetheless, her chest was a decent size. When I looked at the next picture, I instantly dropped the pictures, feeling the blood rush to my nose. It had been a picture of her in nothing but her panties; her chest was completely exposed. I covered my nose with my hands. __**Oh god...**__ Maxwell laughed._

_"Oh my, I thought I took that one out. Don't tell anyone you saw that, they'd definitely kick me out if they knew I was letting my students check out my girl," He snickered, picking up the pictures, and handing me a tissue, so I could wipe my nose._

_"Besides the fact that she's pretty, her personality is amazing; very down to earth. I'm sure someday, you'll meet someone like her with all of those contributes," he smiled at me. "Because you'll prove to the world someday that you're not just some infamous son," He told me. It was true; I wanted the world to see __**me**__ when they saw me and not just my so called father. But for some reason that morning, it didn't matter to me._

_"I already have though," I told him._

_"Huh? You been sneaking off campus to go meet up with a girl, you bad boy you?" He grinned. I chuckled. I would have been interesting, and possibly exciting if that were true._

_"Afraid not," I told him, smiling to myself as I stuffed more tissue up my nose. Maxwell gave me a skeptical look. I was finally able to confuse him._

_It was true, judging by my reaction to those photos, there was no way that I was gay._

_"Lemme see those glasses," Tony chuckled in my memories before sliding them passed my ears, an encouraging smile spread across his cheery face. _

_I looked optimistically out the window. For once, the sun shown, and I somewhat smiled. It was strange... I was strange._

_Which was why I didn't think I was very straight either..._

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxXxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 13 edisnooM_

XxxxxXxxxxXxxX

I slowly opened my eyes to the blurry word covered bunk bed above me. I enjoyed the very few seconds of my life then when my mind was completely blank. It was a matter of moments until my head became cluttered again, and I closed my eyes in hope to hide away. But instead, my hand grazed the edge of my bed for my glasses. When I slipped them on, the first words that appeared to my sight were _'fuck you.'_ I checked my watch, which read 6:47 am. I was only asleep for a few hours. Yet I still couldn't fall back asleep.

The process of flipping over on my side was pungent, as my muscles and joints protested the movement. When I rested there on my side, I looked across the room to the boy that looked comfortably nuzzled underneath the covers. It had been only around a month now... so much stress and pain already.

And he still looked very peaceful as he slept...

My mind started swimming from all of the events that had happened the previous day. So much had happened... _too_ much had happened; from me confessing my past the first time, the flowers, my visit with Pokey, finding Ness while nearly becoming road kill, Maxwell's call, Demerti's freak appearance...

_Then that..._

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks again.

Burying my nose underneath the covers, but still spying on the lump across the room, my thoughts trailed to last night. It had been an accident, but even so, the small incident had left me lost mentally. I could remember and picture everything as if it was happening all over again, from touch, taste, smell sight and sound. Was it normal for me to remember all of the details like this? The more I thought about it, the more my stomach started to turn.

The fact that Pokey's words and threats were still present like a broken record didn't help me either; they should have, but they really didn't. Just what exactly did he do to Ness? Ness turned to face me in bed, eyes still closed, and lips apart enough to where his tongue could poke out slightly.

_I changed my mind... I didn't want to know..._

My eyes downcast away in shame. _If I would have known back then... maybe I wouldn't have gone to say the things I said to him._

_"… You'll have no idea how happy Ness will be if you help us," _Paula said again in my memories.

_Was he really grateful of me to tag along? Or was I wearing him down?_

_"... I'm really sorry... this is all my fault..." _He repeated in my mind as I remembered the look in his indecipherable eyes. I buried my head. The scenario kept repeating...

_Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup..._ I muttered silently to myself. But still, they kept on coming.

... What have I gotten myself into? I looked across the room at Ness's peaceful face. I let off a strangled sigh. _I didn't want to admit it, but I was sure that I was trying to avoid this ever since I lay my eyes on him..._

_We tangled ourselves into a dangerous web. One where we only had each other..._

My muscles protested as I slowly rose from bed; keeping as quiet as I could possibly manage. I thought maybe a shower could clear my mind, just slightly. But _boy_ was I in some physical pain. I winced, slightly hissing as I stood up. How was I going to go anywhere in this condition? I limped my way to the bathroom; carrying my things along with me. I didn't look back to Ness.

---

At first the hot water burned my skin. So be it, I thought, there were worse things. I focused my hearing on the bustling outside, and the hot faucet, running water against my bruised cut skin. I hissed as I grazed the bar of soap along a cut on my left shoulder. I would have screamed my lungs out from the sheer stinging sensation if the soap had gotten deeper under my skin. How _didn't_ Ness scream when he received that huge gash on the side of his abdominal area?

There were a lot of things to suspect, but nothing was absolute. There was so much more I needed to know about Ness, Paula, Pokey... the world...

_ "What I don't know is the real question. There are many things I know, many more than you, or your brilliant father could ever know in your entire lives. Maybe I could never build my own rocket ship, but I know something that humanity has yet to discover." He said, as he started to slowly walk around the room. "But I'm sure you're grasping a little bit of that knowledge yourself, aren't you?" Pokey asked. "Besides, for a smart young man like you, it should be easy."_

_"The end of the world?" I asked. Pokey chuckled._

_"See? You have a sharp eye; have you put it to any good use yet?"_

He still hadn't given away _exactly _what he knew, and what the world didn't know, but I was pretty sure that at least Ness had a better idea than me... considering that Ness and Paula didn't qualify as disgusting human beings... at least that was what Pokey stated in his own words. So what was this almighty secret? ...

_... Did it have to do with that Giygas that Ness had spoken about earlier during our travels?_ It had to of... Who or what was Giygas? I questioned myself all this time; Pokey even asked it... why was _I_ involved in all of this? I ran the soap though my now dirty blond hair, and felt the hot water burn my scalp. I started to think about his eyes again.

_What was it about those eyes?_ There was an unsettling feeling whenever I looked into them. Part of me wanted to run and cower away from them. Sometimes, I'd think back, and I feel like my soul has been invaded, and my thoughts and feelings have been read by them. But part of me also wanted to keep gazing into them... maybe because I hoped to find something new if I did. The more I thought about his eyes, the more I thought about our previous experiences with each other, and what the future had in store for us. I shook my head.

It started to make my head spin, and the hot steam wasn't helping all that much. I turned the nob to the coldest temperature, and I rubbed my eyes. Soon enough, I turned the water off, and stepped out to dry myself off. I slipped my boxers and pants on, and looked at the steam covered mirror above the sink. I couldn't see very well at the time without my glasses, but I ran my towel over it, to reveal myself beneath the thin coat of steam. I squinted at my reflection, and examined my own eyes.

They were dull, like they always seemed to be, though this time it was to a certain stronger degree. They were once determined, according to Pokey, but that morning, they seemed to reflect what I felt deep inside quite successfully; confusion, loss, and a certain amount of despair. Over the years, I could have predicted my green eyes to slowly shift to gray. I was ruining my mother's gift to me. And for once, I didn't care...

I sighed, and drifted my poor sight to the glasses that lay on the edge of the sink. I cleared them as best as I could with my towel, and put them past my still damp hair. I blinked a couple of times, feeling my glasses become out of line again. Tending to my own glasses was going to be a pain in the future. It was too bad... I was going to start missing Tony even more now. I looked at myself more clearly in the mirror.

I looked nothing like I did when I left, I was sure of that. My once tense shoulders were now slouched, and dragged, and my chest was covered in red glowing scrapes and cuts that I had received over the weeks. The bruise on my stomach had turned into a deep purple, and as I brushed my fingers along the section of my abdomen; wincing as the spot screamed from the contact. Nonetheless, the bags under my eyes seemed to only emphasize that I was physically exhausted. I didn't know how long this body would last me, maybe a couple more months if we didn't run into anything obscure. I slipped my white button up shirt, and walked out of that stuffy room.

Cold air clashed with warm damp skin, as I started to shiver. I looked to the bunk bed, where Ness was surprisingly still nestled underneath the covers. I guess I would have to wait for him to wake up on his own, I thought to myself. I sighed, and was about to toss my towel towards the door...

It was then when my eyes spotted a small, white envelope on the floor in front of the door. I raised an eyebrow in suspicion. It looked as if someone had slipped the letter into our room under the door overnight. But who? I picked up the letter with caution; in fancy cursive it read, _"Jeff & Ness."_

Keeping quiet, I limped my way back, sat down slowly, and opened the letter, my eyes continuously glancing back over to Ness's bunk.

_Dear Jeff and Ness,_

_You're probably wondering who would be writing to you two so formally. I can assure you that we've met before, but before you go checking the bottom of this letter to see who really is writing to you, please hear me out._

_I promise you this; I am not Pokey Minch, nor Monotolli._

_Jeff, I have my suspicions that you will be the first to claim this parchment in your hands, so I'll address my writing mainly to you. You either already know, or Ness has told you. But everything I have discovered over these past few years of my life has been freighting and true._

_Something horrible is happening to this world..._

_Though I'm still trying to figure out where you two, including the young girl that usually accompanies you stand in all this, I stand on the outskirts; and I know my role is nearing to its end. We will most likely meet again someday, though I'm not sure if you will even recognize me when we do. But before I keep rambling on about unnecessary details, let me tell you all the important secrets that I'm sure will aid you in your journeys somehow._

_Monotolli is alive. And he is the one responsible for the oddity in the city of Fourside. Though the condition of this city isn't important to me, his control could spread to wider lengths and it would become a difficult thing to manage. Though he is still alive, I cannot tell you where he resides, for I'm not even sure. However, I'm sure you already know this, but the girl that you lost is with him, wherever he is. So where does this leave Pokey Minch?_

_Guessing to the best of my knowledge, I'm sure that you've encountered him at least once, and I know Ness and Pokey share a shady past together. So maybe you'll understand what I mean when I say this;_

_I honestly believe that he is the most tainted and scarred human being that ever walked this earth; at least out of everyone I have met so far. The vibe he gives is enough to control the temperature of the air around him. I'm sure he has a bigger role, but I'm too afraid to dig deeper. You see, he promised me something, but instead, gave me what I am now. It is so grotesque, that I am ashamed to show myself to the sunlight. So I'm going to return to where I belong; my home. Maybe we'll meet there someday. So where do I live?_

_I live in an alternate detention that mirrors this one. Sometimes I wonder which world is either real, or which one will be the first to disappear. I'm sure if you keep walking the same path that you two are on, you'll meet its gates. So until you do, I'll be waiting for you there. _

_Before I say my last few words, let me add this. While you are out searching for the girl that you have lost, please keep Ness safe from everyone. When I say this, keep him safe, even from __**yourself**__. Do you know what I mean?_

_So here are my last words. I'm hoping you read this before you depart the hostel you two reside in, because once you step outside, you'll be greeted by a different light. Please, do yourselves a favor, and look at the walls around you. I'm sure you'll be shocked. When you look at the people, no one will smile. This includes myself; though I've been broken years before your existence._

_So take care of each other; you two only have each other right now. I wish you luck and success; my time is almost up._

_With all consideration, and sincerity,_

_The Invisible Man_

_"_The... Invisible Man?" I mumbled out loud in confusion. It wasn't...

I was nearly startled from the nearby grumbling across the room. I looked up from the parchment to see Ness stir in bed. Sighing as he let off a casual yawn, he pulled the covers over, and pulled his pajama shirt halfway up, exposing his cut abdominal area. When he started to run his hand over his gash, I immediately looked away for some reason. When I looked back at him, the skin he revealed when he moved his hand was smooth, and whole again. He must have healed himself without even getting out of bed. How convenient, I thought. His eyes opened half mass to meet mine.

"Morning, Jeff..." He spoke closing his eyes again. I slightly frowned for some reason.

"Hey..." I spoke somewhat quietly. Ness blew air out of his nose as he brought a hand to his head.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"About eight..." I replied. Ness sighed.

"I should get ready... we need to get to Jackie's Cafe around 9:30..." He said sitting up, rubbing his eyes. It seemed like everything that happened yesterday and last night was pushed to the back of his mind.

"Ness, you need to look at this," I said. Ness looked up to me as I handed out the letter. Ness nodded, and got up to reach for it. I took a moment to let read it through. I took note on his facial expressions that he showed.

"Do you know what this means?" Ness asked me out of the blue. I raised my eyebrow.

"...Maybe?" I replied. Ness folded up the paper.

"It means that we were on the right track this entire time," He replied looking me in the eye. I seemed to nod sheepishly as I looked down to my hands. It seemed silent between us.

"Is something the matter?" He said in a soft tone. I flinched slightly.

"Just... a lot of things are on my mind right now, that's all," I replied faking a smile. Ness saw past it.

"Like what?" He asked. I sighed out of my nose.

"Just everything that happened yesterday," I replied. Ness nodded.

"Oh... yeah," Ness replied sadly. I nodded.

"Are you hurt?" Ness asked. I shrugged.

"Not horribly. Just stiff," I said. Ness's mouth curved down.

"Lemme see..." Ness said standing up. I flushed.

"No no, you'd don't need to do that! I'll be-" However, Ness ignored me, and strode across the room to place his hands on my shoulders. I flinched when he did; casting my eyes up to him, he smirked to me before closing his eyes. There was a soft glow around us both, as I started to feel looser in what felt like moments. It always mesmerized me how he could heal wounds, just by his touch, and his mind. Nonetheless, it felt really good afterward as my bruise was nothing but untainted flesh again. The soft glow faded as I let of an awkward sigh.

"How's that?" He asked me. I looked at my arms, and felt my stomach and the side of my ribs.

"It's... all gone... Thank you..." I seemed speechless still. Ness snickered.

"You look like you were just in a trance."

"Well yeah... it's just amazing... " I said. Ness raised an eyebrow.

"Amazing? No; it isn't that amazing..."

"_Yes it is!"_ I emphasized. "Since when did you see someone else pull off something like that?" I asked smiling, trying to sound grateful. Ness shook his head.

"Please Jeff... it's not amazing to me. It's frightening..." He said quieter. My smile disappeared from the deep meaning behind his words. _Frightening?_ It was quiet.

"I didn't realize..." I spoke. Ness nodded.

"You didn't know... it's alright," Ness said grabbing his arm. I grunted in reply.

"I..." Ness started.

"Yes?"

"... Never mind..." Ness said turning away to pick up his stuff.

"No really Ness... what's wrong?" I spoke more sympathetically than I planned. Ness shook his head.

"It's nothing really. I was just going to say something that was already said. Let me get ready, and we'll go head down to Jackie's cafe whenever you're ready," He said as he walked into the bathroom. So I sat there in silence. I sighed.

_What did he plan to tell me now?_

---

We were silent with each other while we gathered our things, and walked out of the hostel. Ness at first was tempted as I turned in our room key; his hand hovered over the phone. But then he retreated slowly.

"Let's get going," He told me. I frowned, but nodded, keeping note of the letter as we stepped outside. The sun was shining that day, but of course that didn't mean anything big. It was so much easier to walk, now that I was healed. I tried glancing over to Ness, who kept his eyes straight ahead; as if he was trying to avoid anything between us. I tried looking at the people around us. No one seemed raging mad, or sad, but no one particularly smiled either. Something started to turn my stomach slightly.

"Which way was it again?" Ness spoke out loud as we approached the end of the block. I looked around us.

"Didn't he say something about a central park of some kind?" I replied. Ness sighed as he spotted a man walking across the street.

"Hey... may I ask the directions to Jackie's Cafe?" Ness asked the man. What was odd was that he seemed to observe us for a second.

"Is there..." Ness started until the man's eyes grew wide as he ran off. Both of us looked at the man.

"... Is he in a hurry?" Ness asked. I shrugged.

"Ness, did you finish reading that letter?" I asked.

"I glanced though it, yeah," Ness replied. I looked at the building walls.

"Take a close look around you... something's not right," I said. Ness seemed a little goggled at my suggestion at first, but complied. We crossed the street; eyes peered all around us. We saw a woman and her child walking towards us, and Ness looked as if he was about to ask them for directions. I stopped him with a hand to the shoulder that he nearly flinched from. The lady held her kid close, and glared at us as we passed each other.

"What's going on?" Ness questioned out of the blue.

"I'm not sure..." I said as we made our way to the next block.

"Well there's the museum there... I think central park should be down this street, so we should run into..." I looked over to Ness, whose eyes were wide. He was pointing at the wall behind us. I looked in his direction, and when I spotted the thing he gawked at, my breath caught.

**WANTED ALIVE: Boy with black hair, blue eyes. Is 5'4; usually wears a blue and yellow stripped tee with a red and blue cap. He carries a base ball bat as well as a yellow back pack****.**

**WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: Boy with blond hair, freckled skin, green eyes, glasses, is around 5'6, usually wears a green uniform.**

**Wanted for the blackout in the Fourside Department store, the kidnapping of Mayor Monottoli, and possibly murder.**

**REWARD: $50,000**

_... The poster had very identical sketches of us... _my mind flashed back to the police officer in the hospital.

_"Do you recognize the sketch of this young man?" He asked holding up a well drawn picture of Ness. I tried my best to keep a straight face._

_"No... I'm sorry, I don't recognize him."_ Ness rested his palms on the brick wall, and lowered his head. It looked as if the world had crashed down on his head.

_"Oh... my... god... what can we do...?"_ Ness uttered. My eyes were glued to the poster.

"For... crimes we didn't commit?" I managed to say. I clenched my fists.

"_This is... Pokey's doing, I know it is... there's no other way,"_ Ness commented. "It could be possible that if we do get caught, we'll run into him, and maybe we'll find Paula that way..."

"But we don't know where Monotolli is... nonetheless where we'd go for sure if the police did manage to find us..." I replied.

"Because Paula's with..." Ness growled.

"Yeah..." I said. We kept staring at the poster until Ness turned away.

"We'll just have to keep out of everyone's sight till we find her... destroy the Mani Mani statue... reach that sanctuary... then we can get the hell out of here," Ness told me. I nodded, walking with him as I kept looking back at the poster. I kept thinking about Pokey's haunting words still.

_He really meant business..._

---

It felt like an hour had passed by before we finally reached it, though in reality, it was only a half. Jackie's cafe was somewhat on the outskirts of the city, but it gave off a classier vibe. But the shoppe itself gave me mixed feelings as I read the orange letters above the building. I spotted another one of our wanted posters. However, when Ness spotted it, he ripped the flier down, and tore it to shreds.

"Maybe the less that are up, the less people will care..." Ness said, though by the sound of his tone, he must have thought it was a ridiculous idea. I was silent as Ness threw the flier into the trash.

"What if someone recognizes us in here...?" I asked peering through the window. Ness stood silently.

"Wanna exchange clothes?" Ness asked me. I speculated with his question.

"What's that going to do?"

"Well... I dunno, but people would have to look twice in order to recognize us..." Ness replied fiddling with his fingers.

"You honestly believe that exchanging clothes will make them avoid us?" I asked. Ness curved the corner of his mouth down. I sighed while shrugging.

"It's worth a try at least," I said. "We can just find the bathroom in here," I said. So that was the plan apparently as Ness nodded in response. We would exchange clothes, I'd wear his while he wore mine...

---

We were lucky that this bathroom had at least two stalls so none of us were stuck waiting outside. As I took off my coat, Ness tossed his stripped shirt under the stall gap as well as his black tee.

"Should we even wear the clothes that were described on the flier?" I asked.

"Probably not," Ness replied as I heard him struggling with his belt on his jeans. I sighed as I unbuttoned my white shirt.

"Should you even wear your glasses?" Ness asked me as he tossed his jeans under.

"How do you even expect me to get around without them?" I asked.

"Oh..." Ness replied. I sighed as I tossed over my white shirt. I fumbled a bit with my belt a bit. After exchanging what we had, we got dressed. _This was stupid..._ I thought as I pulled on his black shirt, and struggled with his jeans. When I was finally able to get them on, I could barely button them.

"What the hell do you wear Ness, a size zero or something?" I asked.

"No..." Ness replied. I walked out of the stall, feeling the jeans constricting the lower half of my body. When Ness walked out, he decided not to wear the green jacket, but he wore my white undershirt with the other white shirt over it, but unbuttoned. He left the black tie around his neck loose. My green pants looked a little long, and a bit big for his size. He snorted when he looked at me. I blushed.

_"Shut up..._" I told him. However he only snorted again.

"Those jeans look like they're about to rip... _fatty,"_ He chuckled.

"I'm _not_ fat, you're just a stick!" I remarked. He laughed.

"Okay then... let's trade pants again," He snorted. I rolled my eyes. After exchanging again, I could finally breathe normally. We walked out of the stalls, him wearing his jeans, and me wearing my green pants.

"There..." I said. Ness kept chuckling to himself.

"God damn it Ness, what's so funny?!" I asked. However he shook his head.

"Nothing... it's nothing," He replied.

---

Overall, Jackie's Cafe seemed to be a hangout for middle class citizens. The lighting was dim, and the jazz music from the background filled and drunken the air. The bar looked pretty deserted, but there were a few people sitting around the tables; each and every one of them looked drowsy as they watched the game on the TV. We claimed a table, and we sat there in silence. I checked my watch; it was already ten minutes past 9:30. Everdred was nowhere in sight. No one had even bothered to come and wait on us. Ness let off a hefty sigh and rested his chin on the table.

"He couldn't have forgotten, could he?" I asked. Ness grumbled, but formed no words. I drifted my eyes around the store. I wondered what Everdred wanted to tell us? Demetri even said himself that something strange was happening... and it had to do with this cafe as well. _He also stated a rumor that..._

Both of our heads turned towards the door when it opened with a ring of the bell. However, Everdred wasn't the one to enter; instead it was a strange man in a dark gray jacket and a hat. The jacket looked a bit too heavy for the weather outside, I thought to myself. He went to sit at the bar behind us, though neither one of us paid no mind.

"I wonder who the Invisible Man is..." Ness spoke to me out of the blue. I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think it may be Demetri or something?" He asked me. I seemed surprised at his suggestion, though I thought about it myself. They seemed to have some similarities in my opinion.

"It could be possible. He did vanish from us last night in the kitchen. But why didn't he just address himself as so?" I mentioned.

"Yeah..." Ness replied. "I'm just surprised that no one in here has even really noticed us..." Ness seemed to drift his eyes behind us when the bar tender spoke to the man at the counter almost irately, but in a low tone. The man at the counter had his elbows up, and he rested his clasping hands underneath his chin, and he tilted his head lower. I could see the side of his cheek move, as if he was chanting something to himself. That was odd...

"I don't want to sound rude, but you need to order something if you want to sit at the bar..." The bar tender spoke as he rubbed a wine glass. However, the man at prayer didn't pay any mind. We both turned around slightly.

"I come here everyday... to pray. Let me stay for just a moment," The man spoke in a low tone. I watched the bar tender react to the response he received. His eyes seemed to light up. I wasn't sure what he said, but I could have sworn he said something suspicious. The man kept chanting to himself.

"Alright... _Monotolli_." Heart stopping words; that were barely an utter from the bar tender. Ness immediately stood up.

"Excuse me sir?" The bar tender asked Ness. Ness's expression was bitter, as his eyes were wide, blood shot, and his face went red.

_"Ness..."_ I said standing with him. However he ignored me. His voice shook, but it was filled with venom.

_"Where is __**Paula Polestar, Monotolli?!"**_ The man at the counter froze as well as the bar tender. The entire store was completely still, excluding the jazz from the back ground. My heart started to pound. The man chuckled to himself.

"So... _you're him_, I presume..." Ness blew hot air out of his nostrils.

"Yeah... I'm _him..."_ Ness replied. The man was silent at first.

"You're the boy that apparently is destined to save them all..." He said. There was a pause. When Ness was about to make a move, the man twirled around swiftly, and held up a gun to his head; his face was pale, and tears streaked down his face. Our eyes widened. The atmosphere around us changed; just like that.

_"Well then... I can't allow you to ruin me... not yet... I need her right now... besides you two are wanted men, and I have full control of the police here... __**they'll fine you before you can do anything about it,"**_ He snarled at us as he backed up towards the door, still pointing the gun at both of us. Monotolli was insane...

_**"Well you'll never find me, or your friend Paula!"**_ He yelled before he dashed out of the door. Ness broke into a sprint after him.

_**"Ness!!"**_ I shouted, chasing after them. _Oh jeez._

I had no idea where we were heading, but Ness was too fast for me to catch up, nonetheless I was carrying my crap with me. The chase lasted for what felt like forever as my chest started to swell up from the lack of oxygen. We looped though alleyways, parks, even through on-coming traffic, and when I saw what was ahead of Monotolli in the distance, I couldn't help but stop in my tracks, especially when Monotolli stopped in his. I panted as I watched the senario, though Ness was still charging forward.

Monotolli ran into Everdred, who seemed to look enraged at Monotolli himself.

_"There you are! Look, I-"_ Ness froze in his tracks while I trembled.

_A gunshot roared in the air..._

Everdred's black glasses fell off his face, and his black eyes were wide in horror, pain, and shock. Monotolli was trembling, and I could hear his whimpers as he looked at the man he had just shot through the chest. I could see something dark expand though his clothing. _Oh my god..._ If this guy was willing to shoot any random person on the street... then there was no wonder what he would do around Paula...

_"__**STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"**_ He shouted as he dashed off. Everdred was frozen, until he fell to his knees with a gasp; a choke.

_"Everdred!!"_ Ness panicked dashing towards him. I dashed myself as a crowd had started to form around us. Everdred fell down on the ground on his side now.

_"Everdred... please __**say something..."**_ Ness begged him as he tried bringing his trembling hands to make physical contact with him. Everdred kept shifting his eyes around, almost groggily between Ness and I. The blood that seeped through his shirt started to stain the pavement.

"Ne... Ness... _is that you? I'll... I'm sorry I couldn't make it in time..."_ Everdred uttered barely. I could see Ness red face, as tears rolled down them.

_"No Everdred, no no no no no no!" _He panicked as he tried healing him with his PSI. But it was no use... the blood just kept on coming.

_"You're not going to die, Everdred, just hold on-" _With all the strenght he could muster, Everdred grabbed Ness by the wrist.

"Shh... please stop... don't worry about me..." Everdred said. Ness started sobbing. I felt pathetic; for I wasn't shedding any tears.

"Since... I don't think we'd need to meet there now... I'll just tell you here. Monotolli... _he took the Mani Mani statue... from me..."_ Our eyes widened.

"Wh-What?" Ness spoke. Everdred took in a gasp.

"The Mani Mani statue... I was hoping to sell it... it's a strange doll... that brings out the evil of people... at least that's what I was told. And from the looks of what happened to Happy Happy Village... I can only guarantee this is true... Listen to me Ness... I've been expecting my time to end for a while now... _I know his secret... _but from the looks of things... you two probably already know..."

"You mean... what's happening to this city, am I correct?" Ness asked. Everdred grunted.

_"Head back... to Jackie's cafe... and... look...behind... the counter..."_ He wheezed as best as he could. Ness and I exchanged glances. I could feel the murmurs around us from the gathering people.

"Behind... the counter?" I asked. Everdred's last few words didn't make much sense to me at the time.

"_When on your way out... be sure that you say goodbye... then lock the door tight..."_

"Wha- please, excuse me?" Ness asked. Everdred seemed to struggle now. Everyone gasped around us as Everdred struggled to get up to his feet.

"_Everdred..."_

"_When on your way out... be sure that you say goodbye... then... lock the door tight..." _He struggled to say at the last part as he started limping way through the crowd.

"Everdred, no!" Ness exclaimed.

_"You better hurry kid... time is a ticking bomb if you stand still..." _He said as he started to pick up his pace into a jog. _How the hell?_

"Are those the two boys on the wanted poster?" I heard someone mutter. Our eyes widened, as the crowd started to corner us in. Ness seemed petrified from what had happened, for he probably had no past experiences with someone getting shot. Though I wasn't much better off, but I was the one to grab his wrist.

"We have to go _now_," I told him as we pushed our way through the crowd.

_"Don't let them get away!"_ Someone shouted behind us. We both broke into a sprint. When we were in fear, our feet seemed to carry ourselves a lot easier.

_"We can't get caught -gasp- or else something bad is going to happen!"_ I told him while we ran.

_"But Everdred!" _Ness exclaimed. We made a sharp turn.

_"Like he said, we can't worry about him now, we need to find Paula... and destroy that thing,"_ I reminded him. We heard sirens in the distance; I assumed that someone called them in. It was an epic chase that we had to win in order to survive.

"_This way_," Ness said as he dragged me sharply into a different direction. When we eventually made it to Jackie's Cafe again, we shut the doors tight behind us.

---

Both of us panted in the dimly lit building. It was shocking when we looked around the cafe. The music was playing... but _there was absolutely no one in sight... as if everyone had evacuated the building._ What was even stranger was that there was no police here to investigate... though I guess now it all made sense, considering what happened in the department store, and the fact that we now knew that Monottoli was the one controlling the patrol. So... what were we to do now?

_"Jeff... what counter do you think he was talking about?"_ Ness asked gasping for breath. My heart was racing, so my reply was a bit on the slow side.

_"I don't know... just look out for anything that looks suspicious..."_ We slowly walked into the restaurant; we investigated behind the bar first, as we rummaged through all of the different drinks and supplements. But after pulling out everything that the shelves had to offer, there was no evidence of a weird doll looking statue anywhere. Ness froze, as I could tell by the corner of my eye. He slowly shifter his head towards the shelves behind us, with more drinks we had to go through.

_"It's here... I can feel it..."_ Ness spoke hauntingly as he examined the shelves. He lunged forward to knock everything down, and when he did, he found a knob of some sort.

"A... door knob?" I asked. We looked at each other for a moment until we both finally nodded. Ness took hold of the door nob, and turned it slowly until the entire set of shelves moved back like a door. I flipped on the switch as my heart pounded. We ended up in a long narrow hallway. And as we slowly walked our way down, I couldn't help but feel an unwelcoming presence in the air. There were many doors, but we kept walking down to the cracked doorway at the very end of the hall. It was a good and bad thing that we did as we flipped on the light in the room.

Boxes. Piles and Piles of cardboard boxes and wooden crates. We looked around the room as if we were afraid of some serial killer to pop out of nowhere. We could still faintly hear the music playing in the background. We could have split up in the room, but both of us feared being alone for some reason. I could start to feel my sight becoming blurry.

"I don't... feel too good, Ness..." I told him.

_"Me neither..."_

We took baby steps around a tower of boxes when we spotted something still, golden and human like. Its eyes were like diamonds, and they pierced through mine. My mind became unclear as my sight became hazy. However, as we saw this, the atmosphere started shifting, as if I was drunk. I started to groan. But so did Ness.

_Holly..._

It was monstrous, how I felt. I could have thrown up, but I squeezed my eyes shut, and held my forehead. I could hear Ness complaining as well as the color in my sight started to shift into opposites. The atmosphere turned pitch black, while the objects, and the cracks on the walls started to glow bright neon colors.

---

All the sudden, we were back in the main room of the cafe. Except this time, it was different to an extreme. Everything was black, but the bright neon colors that decorated some of the edges kept the room and atmosphere a glow. Nonetheless whenever I saw movement, it was all hazy and lagged momentum. The sounds around us echoed. I turned my head to Ness, who was already facing me, and it took a moment for his frame to come into focus. Ness looked dazed and freaked out all at once.

_"...Jeff..."_

_"What's... happening?"_ I asked looking around us.

_"I..."_ There were customers again, drinking espresso as well as hard liquor and alcohol of some sort. I started to walk forward; it felt weird doing so. Ness walked beside me, and interrupted a man's conversation.

"Hey... are you imagining this too? He asked the man, who in return gave him a skeptical look.

"What are you talking about?" He replied.

"_Fourside... what happened to it?" _ Ness asked. The man was silent for a moment.

"Fourside? No no, you're mistaken... this is _Moonside..._" He told us. Moonside? We looked around us. Ness and I looked at each other again, as we tried exiting the building, until I felt someone touch my shoulder. We turned around, feeling almost sick to our stomachs as we did.

"You two seem lost... Yes means No, and No means Yes," She told us. Do you understand what I just said?" She asked me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes means No, and No means Yes, do you understand?" She asked again. I shook my head.

"No... not really..." The lady smiled to me.

"Good, you'll fit in with all of us very well," She said before she was back to her business. Ness and I exchanged awkward glances, as we walked out of the cafe. _What a weird lady,_ I thought.

Though as we left, I couldn't help but feel a presence following us. I was sure that Ness felt the same way.

---

Outside wasn't any better. The same colors surrounded us, and it was strange that the temperature didn't feel any different either. We found another man walking by. Ness tried stopping the man; however, he passed by tilting his hat to us. What he told us didn't make any sense, and it almost sounded robotic.

"Welcome to Moonside. Wecomel to Soonmide. Moonwel ot cosidme." He spoke as he walked off. _What the fuck?_ There was another man that smiled at us.

"Welcome to Moonside. Wel... come... to...moo...nsi...ns...dem...oons...ide" His mouth jumped too fast as he spoke before he was off. We looked around us dizzily, and my eyes spotted a sign that said "!edisnooM oT emocleW" My eyes widened.

_The Invisible Man... was this the alternate dimension that he was talking about?_

"Did you hear that?" Ness asked me. He still seemed boggled from the whole ordeal, boggled and exhausted from this mind trauma.

"Hear what?"

"Someone was laughing... but I don't know where it came from..." He said. We kept walking; we were shoulder to shoulder as we looked around us.

_"Heheheheh..." _I heard a cringing familiar voice chuckle as it seemingly echoed all around us. My eyes widened as I saw an image from far away as well as a clock. What was strange was that they gradually got bigger and bigger. Fear started to swell inside of me. I didn't know what to think... _this was so bizarre and confusing..._

_Just like all those years ago... when mom died..._

I wasn't thinking at the time, but I grabbed Ness's hand, as if my life depended on it. Ness seemed startled from the gesture, though his eyes were peered at the images that approached us.

_"Ness..."_ I spoke nervously. Ness turned his head towards mine. I felt dizzy as I looked to him, and the fact that his eyes were filled with concern didn't help me one bit. But he must have been as afraid as I was. The weird images and clocks surrounded us as time and abstract art seemed to leer, and tower over both of us. I wondered if we would have been better off if Paula was with us.

It was at this precise moment that time seemed to stop itself, and my consciousness left me.

_Ness..._

...

...

... My sight went temorarily black when a roaring pain echoed through my body. I seemingly screamed when I heard that cringing laugh again in my mind before I blacked out.


	14. The Invisible Man

**A/N: **Thanks again to NetusVersatus, Pure-White-Angel22, DanMat6288, and the Leander for the reviews XD And thank you Red and Margariita for your reviews as well! X3

To answer your question, Red, Yes I have plans for all that, but it's a secret to how I'm going to plan things along. ;3

And of course: Thank you; all of you that commented on my journal and gave me the feedback I needed to get out of my god awful writer's block. I wasn't sure if I'd pull this off as well if it wasn't for you guys! x3 So this is dedicated to you.

So I apologize BIG TIME, I really do. This has been the longest it's been delayed, and I don't have too much of an excuse except the fact I've been very tired, and cold, and my motivation level for everything has been extremely low. I've also been very busy this past week, so everything just kept piling onto each other. I physically feel like crap, and I have no idea why, maybe it's because of the weather, and the fact I haven't had a good workout in a while! X3 I'm not even sick either. Nonetheless, I had my first true writer's block for this fiction!

As for this chapter... most of it takes place in Moonside. I have to admit, writing this chapter was a bit of a grim, and it was pretty difficult to describe everything. My only warning is that this chapter _will_ have indications towards sexual themes such as harassment. But nothing too graphic happens, so it should still fit somewhat comfortably under a T rating. ;3 Maybe later on I should raise the rating on this fic? I dunno...

Anyways, I hope this chapter turned out alright, and I hope you guys enjoy nonetheless! xP

XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxX

_I somehow ended up on a deserted beach. The sky was grey and gloomy while the wind blew chills passed my shivering shoulders. For some odd reason, I was barefoot, and I could feel the cold sand between my toes. I looked around me._

_Where was I? Why was I here? Such a cliché moment, but still... was I really here? Or was all this apart of Moonside's mirage? Come to think of it... I looked around me again as I scanned the beach. I couldn't find Ness anywhere and the more I searched the more I worried and the wind only picked up more, while the sky gradually darkened. So I finally set my sights into the ocean itself. In moments, I widened my eyes when I saw her, gazing into the horizon as silk blond hair locks waved around her shoulders and the water nipped at her ankles._

_"... Mom..." I muttered to myself. Was it even possible? No... None of this was real, there was no possible way. However, the childishness in me couldn't ignore her, and I started to merge closer to the shore._

_"... Mom?" My voice choked out, though I could barely hear it over the now howling winds. It seemed as if the closer I got, the darker it became. The waves started to flap violently. But mom still stood, gazing into that distance, as if she was trying to figure something out. It was then that something under those waters started to glow, and illuminated the ocean. I felt my chest swell as I broke into a sprint._

_"__**Mom!!"**__ I shouted as I fought the wind to get to her. However, I halted sharply when an ear shattering howl broke through the atmosphere. My heart hammered as we both of us watched something __**huge**__ emerging from under the surface. Monstrous was the only way I could describe it at the time, and I just could feel the doom to come. The glowing orb, that seemed like the rising sun started to slowly form the image of my mother's face; passive and emotionless. Her green eyes met mine. When I looked away nervously to see mom standing on the beach however, her back was still faced towards me. She didn't even flinch when the second roar broke out, and I immediately clenched my ears. The earth started to rumble, and I could see what looked like a massive wave approaching our way._

_**"MOM!!! **__I shouted, shocked out of my reverie as she became buried underneath the waves that were out to get me next in a violent rush. I looked up to that monstrous object; at her emotionless face before I drowned underneath the ocean's grip, hearing a maniacal, yet familiar laughter, as my world became black again..._

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 14 The Invisible Man_

XxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxX

When I finally realized I was conscious, I was practically bitch-slapped with ice cold water across the face while I heard that same laughter. I shook my head as I opened my eyes; everything was still dark. I tried moving my arms, but they felt tied behind my back and for some reason I didn't want to know, I was laying on my side, weak and helpless. It had come to the conclusion that I must have still been in this dark and hazy realm known as Moonside.

"Are you awake yet?" I heard that familiar voice asked. I choked on more water that was splashed on my face.

"Yes," I spoke irately. The voice 'hmmed.'

"Do you want me to kick you to wake you up a bit more?" He asked. I stumbled at his suggestion.

"What? Are you insane? Of course not-" I felt a sharp, jabbing pain roar out in my ribs as he must have kicked me, laughing while doing so. As I squinted from the pain, I realized from my fuzzy vision that my glasses must have been off. Great...

"From the sounds of your choking, I can only assume that you really are awake now," He said gleefully, as I felt a grip on my chin. As he propped my face over towards his, I wasn't sure whether to be scared of pissed. He snickered mockingly.

"You can't see very well without your glasses, can you? Makes it a whole deal easier for me then. Though I'll still ask anyways; would you like your glasses back?" He asked me.

"Please?" I asked growling. He paused.

"Please?"

"Yes..." I muttered. He sighed, as I heard something scatter farther away across the room.

"Suit yourself," He told me. _What the hell?!_

_"What was that?! I said yes!" _ I raised my voice.

"Exactly. Anyhow, moving on… did you receive my letter?" He asked me. My eyes widened in realization. _Could he have been... there was no other way..._ He snickered.

"Judging by your sudden expression, I can only assume no. That's good," He said as I felt a grip on Ness's black shirt I was currently wearing, as he dragged me up so we met eye to eye. My eyes widened when we were nose to nose. _His eyes were red..._ I thought to myself. _Red and glowing..._

_"Since you travel around with that special boy... surely there's something special about you, now isn't there?"_ He sneered as I felt his hot steamy breath against my face. The closeness left me fumbled, but it didn't stop me from asking my next question.

_"Where is he... where is Ness..."_ I sounded pleading, as if I feared the answer. He snickered.

"Do you really want to know?" He finally asked. I paused. Was this a mind trick he was pulling off or something...

_Mind trick..._ He had to be Demetri, though I couldn't tell just by looking at him in this dark hell hole... nonetheless without my glasses. Then it hit me, as I started to remember things when we entered in the first place.

_"Yes means No and No means Yes,"_ The lady repeated in my head. I gulped, feeling unsure about saying the opposite of what I wanted.

"No..."

"Well... even so, I can't answer your question, for I'm not even sure myself," He replied. I gritted my teeth.

_"What the hell do you mean when you say __**you don't know?**__ You were there when I got knocked out, I'm sure of it!!"_ I noted angrily. Though his face was still blurry, I could see a grin spread across his face; I was sure that a golden tooth, similar to Demetri's; glittered in the darkness. I took in a breath.

_"Tell me._ Why are you freaks so anxious to get your hands on him nonetheless on us anyways? As well as why the hell you have I tied up here?!" Yet again, he didn't really respond, and instead he slowly chuckled until he started roaring.

"That's the funny thing; _you have no idea what's really going on do you?"_ Another yes and no question; I wasn't sure which to pick either way. I heard him walk across the room.

"Let us talk about that, what do you know so far?" He asked me.

"Untie me, and give me my glasses, and maybe we'll talk," I stated. He paused.

"As you wish. But I won't let you run away," He spoke; voice hitching up another octave. He started with my glasses, and once I could see again, he dragged me up to my feet, and he reached into my pants pocket. Now that I could see clearer, I could tell that this man indeed, closely resembled Demetri. But this time, the darkness seemed to swallow his image up, so I wouldn't be able to see him from afar, even with the aid of my glasses. Though every time his mouth would open, that golden tooth of his would shimmer as brightly as some of the lights in Moonside. Nonetheless, he grabbed out my knife.

"How's Moonside so far?" He said, twirling the knife, and flashing me a toothy grin. I thought of the letter.

"Well... shitty so far, considering you didn't give me any time to explore it. Is this that parallel world you were talking about before? What does this all mean?" I asked. I noticed that Demetri decided not to cut me loose and instead paced back and forth in the storage room we were in. Looking around me, there was only one window, which let the neon lights flash and light up the room, just slightly.

"It can mean whatever you want it to mean." He smiled childishly. I growled. Was he taunting me or something?

"Stop playing games with us, for this is getting nowhere. What's happening, where's Ness, and what do you want from me?" I said glaring at him. _"Demetri..."_ He frowned for a split second.

"Don't call me that wrenched name... that was only a decoy name, though I guess it really doesn't matter now." We were silent.

"Whatever you see in this dimension... feeling wise, it was exactly how I felt when I entered your world. Of course, I _had _to go there, for someone disturbed this realm's life source... I guess you people call it the Mani Mani statue," He said. "I couldn't risk anything horrible to happen to it..."

"Wait... Deme- I mean..." I was speechless, for I wasn't sure how to put what I was thinking into words. He started to act fidgety now, as if he was starting to somewhat go insane, his voice hitched.

"So you can only guess why I tied you up here... as well as separated you from that boy you call Ness," He said.

"Because... you don't want us anywhere near that statue, do you?" I asked. I decided after mentally arguing to myself, that I'd just call him the Invisible Man. He ran my blade against his neck, like an emo cutting for enjoyment.

_"You two die... or the rest of us die... _that's the bet right now. Though I'll die shortly either way, I can't let you two hurt the people here," He said. The way he said this shocked me, just slightly. We didn't intend to hurt anyone innocent...

"I know, but... what's the whole point if _your life source_ is just making our world go crazy?!" I asked in a clearer voice. The Invisible Man roared in laughter again, grabbing his forehead and bobbing it up and down like crazy. It was then that he skipped swiftly over to me, and grabbed me forcefully. I gasped as he turned me around towards the window, and placed my back against him, his chin and face snaking around my shoulder. I froze at this awkward, and frightening intimate contact we were in now. He whispered into my ear, shivering from his hot breath making contact with my skin.

"Listen... _just listen to these words..._ There is more going on that you can comprehend at the moment. Mani Mani... me... Monotolli... that scarred young man... none of us are _the_ evil you seek. The evil that has been haunting your adventures is the works of just one. It has the power to influence... to torture, and to ruin lives. You and three others are the only ones that can stop it..." He finished as he brought my blade to the side of my neck. I gulped as his voice squealed in excitement.

"It's all so beautiful, isn't it? It's been plaguing mother earth for years and it's only been recently that _someone_ has noticed. Yet... _you're _still not sure yourself," He smiled, as he ran the blade against my skin; the stinging sensation was enough to make me hiss, as my heart started to race from fear. His voice got deeper.

"What did you think he saw when he looked at you?" He finally asked. My eyebrows perked up.

"...Ness?" I asked. "... I don't know..."

"Such a tentative boy… it seems like its very hard for him to get along with anyone, as long as he wields those eyes..." He said moving away from me finally. I didn't realize until he was away from me that my knees were becoming weak, as if a whole new weight was being loaded on them.

_"Why do you keep talking about Ness like he's so special..."_ I finally asked. "You're starting to sound just like that Pokey Minch..." I said, cringing at my memories of our conversation.

"Who knows? That's what's so special about him, he's such a mystery... but of course the other reason being that he's the one; the leader, that can stop it... as long as he can conquer himself of course. That's why he has you and that young wrench; you two will aid him to become something great... something that the Apple of Enlightenment has predicted for years and years..." He said.

"Apple... of Enlightenment?" I asked. He ignored me. Instead, he gave me a wide, freaky grin, as his uni-brow furrowed and his tooth shimmered in the darkness.

"Of course, I'll just have to keep you from him, so you two will be lost in this realm forever. Besides... there's something I must do," He said with interest, pacing towards me again. I backed away, but he lunged at my shirt, and yanked me towards him again. He took my knife and placed it behind my ear. I winced when it made contact. By this time, I could feel blood trickling down my neck from the other cut he gave me.

_"Please... stop..._" I shivered in horror as he brought his nose to my neck, and I could feel something wet and warm running against my cut. I yelped, wincing weakly. _He was licking me?!_ He breathed against my neck.

_"Stop..."_ I could feel tears collecting in the corners of my eyes. _"Why are you doing this to us...?" _ I asked timidly. _What was he doing to me?!_

_"I've been waiting for this moment... for __**sooo long**__..."_ He murmured against my neck. My breath hitched and my heart constricted in fear, as my lip started to tremble. The Invisible Man's scent reeked of soot, sweat, and something inhumane and the more I tried struggling from the rope that bind my wrists together, the tighter he squeezed me; it was all too much.

_"Let go of me!"_ I ordered. However, he let go, and instead, forcefully grabbed my chin.

"Let's play a little game. If we play this game, I'll let you go. _Just one question I need to ask the scientist..."_ I was baffled by his terminology of '_little game.'_

_"What... little game?"_ I asked. _"I'm barely a scientist..."_ The Invisible Man raised an eyebrow.

"That's odd... considering you're such a misbeliever of magic... _but I guess now since your scientific noggin can't interpret this little realm, it'll make things very simple..."_ He said, backing me up into the wall. _Oh god..._ His nose inched closer to me. _This must have been how Ness felt..._

"Tell me... what do you see in my eyes?" _What?_ Why was he asking me this?

"Wha-"

_"Just tell me so we can be on our golly way,"_ He ordered angrily. I winced as he squeezed my chin tighter. It took me a little bit to get used to this vulnerable feeling. I fought myself to actually cast my green eyes to him, and stared.

_So what did he want me to see in his eyes? _ I didn't know what to look for. His eyes were angry and red... bloodshot nonetheless. It scared me... _how mentally lost_ this one character alone has gotten; the once cocky and egotistical Demetri was gone and replaced with this needing and searching maniac that was the Invisible Man. Did he even remember most of the things that even happened at the hostel in Fourside over the past week? Though from what I could tell, all of his searching has left him nil and...

"You... fear something..." I uttered.

"What do I fear _Jeff?"_ He sneered.

"A lot of things... you even mentioned yourself that our side was hazy... just like it is for me here, and it's been freaking me out lately. But I'm more afraid of what's happening... what will happen if nothing is done. Is there a certain possibility that _you _fear what's going on? This evil force... _Giygas..."_ The Invisible Man flinched when I mentioned his name.

"Not very many know the knowledge to form that name on their lips... so you must know something about what's going on."

"Barely." I said again, feeling more determined which was sort of awkward as well. "I'm very vague on knowledge when it comes to Giygas. But still, I don't understand you, you're confusing me... magicians don't seek knowledge... at least that's what Demetri hinted me on about..." The Invisible Man flinched.

_"Demetri was not a magician, I am._" I had to think in reverse for this phrase, for its meaning was the other way around.

"Well then... your ultimate fear is truth... am I right? You're fearful enough to hide away from it with magic as well as this realm and that statue of Mani Mani. Though when you entered our side, and you discovered what Giygas was doing, your mind started to shatter and that's how you ended up thinking this way. I don't know what Ness saw when he looked into your eyes, but I can only assume the same..." I wasn't even sure exactly what I was talking about, but it didn't stop the Invisible Man from stuttering.

"No... he saw something completely different. No one can see what he sees..." He said. The Invisible Man seemed weak now, as if I really made some sort of point. It was still a very confusing situation to me.

"Well then what did he see?" I asked. He ran his fingers through his curly hair in the dark. I was no longer pried against the wall, thankfully.

"The Apple of Enlightenment pictured this too... four individuals that have the eyes to recognize this pure evil... while you could spot my weakness... Ness could see my sins," He finally said. My eyes widened. The Invisible Man turned me around and brought the knife to my wrists to cut me free. I massaged them.

"..._ sins?"_ I asked him.

"That's right." I fumbled with this for a little bit. _Could this possibly explain why Ness is so frightened of his PSI?_ I thought.

_"Well yeah... it's just amazing..." I said. Ness raised an eyebrow._

_"Amazing? No; it isn't that amazing..."_

_"Yes it is!" I emphasized. "Since when did you see someone else pull off something like that?" I asked smiling, trying to sound grateful. Ness shook his head._

_"Please Jeff... it's not amazing to me. It's frightening..." _ Ness spoke in the memory pool.

By this time, The Invisible Man was on his knees. I picked up my knife that he deliberately dropped on the floor. I furrowed my eyebrows. He looked like he was about to break down.

"Well now what?" I asked him.

_"Go... just go... we're all going to perish eventually... just grab your friend and go..."_ He told me. It took me a moment before I started to head to the door, still getting used to the dark haziness of Moonside.

"Will I ever see you again?" I asked feeling myself shiver. There was no reply. And with that, I exited that room, and entered the freakish streets.

---

By the time I was out in this strange public, the conversation we had just had kept repeating over and over again, shivering from my memories of his closeness. There were so many things I already needed to ask, and now more questions were piling up.

What was the Apple of Enlightenment? Could Ness really see one's deadly sins just by looking at them? If so... _what did he see every time he looked at me?_ I shook my head.

_No, focus, Jeff, stay focused,_ I told myself. But still, the memories still piled up onto each other. I didn't realize until now, that I did notice a lot of the people's fears whenever I looked at them, if they were ordinary that was, or at least I got a decent idea. But did this in the slightest make me any more special than most of the other people in the world? If so, how come I can't use PSI?

And even so, every time I looked at Ness... and even Paula, I couldn't pin point their fears, while knowing they had some sort of weaknesses, I couldn't tell. Maybe it was because of their PSI, or just the fact that I lacked their abilities?

_"Please Jeff... it's not amazing to me. It's frightening..." _ What was so frightening about PSI? It was a part of them, wasn't it? A part of him... yet every time I looked at him, I couldn't pin point as to _how_ and _why_ he would be so scared of it... By this time, multiple things were flying through my head, as well as the mental laughter that plagued my thoughts. I started to feel dizzy from it all along with the haziness that was Moonside.

I was about halfway across the street when I realized that my bag was missing with all of my supplies.

"Shit..." I swore as dared to look around me. The only thing I had to protect myself with now was my knife, for not only my gun was in my bag, but I wasn't able to finish fixing it the previous night. How the hell was I going to find it in this place? But I guess that wasn't important now. _Ness... need to find Ness, _I thought. What if the Invisible Man hid him somewhere? Or what if he was hurt? Or even worse, what if he was...

"_No that would be preposterous, Ness knows better not to get himself killed," _I thought out loud. This time when I looked at the city, I looked at the buildings themselves.

Lined by bright neon like colors; the buildings themselves somewhat resembled Fourside... of course from a very odd perspective. I tried speaking to as many people I could find, but everything that resembled as some sort of enemy; I tried my best to avoid. So far, it seemed to be coming along well...

"Have I seen a boy in a red cap? No..." The man told me. I cringed inside, as I thanked him and was on my way. I could only hope that Ness was somewhere... safe enough until I could find him.

"Have _I_ seen a boy in a red cap recently? Yes..." The lady said. My eyes lit up.

_"Please, you have to tell me which direction he went!"_ I said. The lady raised an eyebrow.

"What in Moonside are you talking about?" She asked. I looked at her dumbstruck.

"You said that you saw him! So where did he go?!" I asked raising my voice. I felt hopeless when she spoke again, as well as the biggest idiot that ever walked among Moonside.

_"Yes..._" She finally said when it clicked in my head.

_"God damn it!"_ I swore out loud before I paced back to the other man that said no.

It took me a little bit, but eventually I found the same man, standing in front of what looked like a hospital. I panted as I supported myself on my knees.

"You said... you saw him...?" I asked. There was a small pause.

"No..."

"Where?" I asked looking up at the man in shades. He looked somewhat annoyed, and it confused me when he spoke again.

"Hello... and... _goodbye."_ My heart literally stopped as everything around me came rushing at my face, as if I was being teleported somewhere. Neon lights danced in my eyesight, and when everything suddenly went back to normal, I literally fell on the pitch black grass. My heart couldn't take the sudden surprises anymore, for it started to hurt. I groaned, shaking my head as I tried collecting myself. For some reason, it hurt to even stand, so I lay there for a moment, while mentally arguing with myself that I had to get my lazy ass up and find Ness as soon as possible.

My head spun as I spotted a man hazily though a fence that looked too tall to scale all by myself. My eyes squinted as I tried to decipher the old man, as my eyes came into focus, he seemed to be in the middle of some sort of prayer. I couldn't tell who or what he was praying or chanting to, but my heart constricted when I came to a conclusion.

_"Mon...otolli?"_ I muttered out loud.

"Hey kid, you alright?" A voice nearby, rang me out of my reverie. I decided at that time to at least attempt to get up. Propping myself up with my arms, I sat on my knees while I turned my face towards the voice.

There, standing by a tall gate was a grubby, old sailor, smoking his pipe; the smoke that puffed out took on multiple shapes and sizes.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." I said until I collected my senses and stood up.

"Umm... may I see what's passed this gate?" I asked thinking about that cursed man behind it. However, the man looked at me disapprovingly, taking another puff of his pipe. I must have looked like a hobo to this man, though he didn't look much neater I thought.

"Sorry kid, I can't let you though here until you bring back the man with the connected eyebrows and the golden tooth; you know the guy right?" He asked me. I froze at his suggestion. _He knew the Invisible Man?_

"What can you tell me about him?" I asked suddenly.

"Calm down kid, you look like you're about to break down in emotional exhaustion. Alright, you see, he's been causing all sorts of trouble lately, playing pranks and tricking some of us Moonside residents. However, you see he's the only one of us Moonside people that can even get close to the Mani Mani statue; it's his after all, as well as this city's, and I need to speak with him. We've known him for a while. So if you see him, please tell him to get his ass over here for meh," He explained. I tried absorbing this new information into my skull.

"I have another question... have you seen a boy in a red and blue cap lately? If you... haven't, point in the direction..." I said the best I could.

"Hmmm... no..." He said, pointing down the street. "Heading towards the hospital, I believe," He said. I frowned.

"Thanks," I waved as I started to run. I was slowly and steadily getting used to the reversed responses.

---

It took a little bit to find the hospital again, all the lights dancing around me. I passed by the hotel, feeling somewhat sleepy. I shook my head.

"No, Ness... gotta find Ness..." I told myself. I took a moment to stand, and examine the area again; everything was so dark, and confusing... even if I _did_ find Ness and destroy that god damn statue, what would happen then? I started to walk again, but I almost immediately halted.

_"He's not that way now is he?"_ I heard that cringing voice giggle around me. I spun around, but no one was there.

"Surely a smart man such as yourself isn't lost, is he?" He spoke again.

_"Show yourself..."_ I said realizing it had to be the Invisible Man.

"Why should I show myself? This is so much fun!" He replied. "It'll be a better game than we played the last time," He started to laugh. I gritted my teeth.

_"Leave me alone, maybe another time. I have business to take care of right now,"_ I stated angrily. It was then that I saw his grin, the bright golden tooth glittering brighter than everything else.

"But that _is _part of the game. You go by your business while I play," He said lovingly. It was then that three somewhat living objects appeared, one painting, one clock and the other a fire hydrant, all looking like they were itching to kill. I froze when I felt something graze my ear.

"You don't have anything to defend yourself with, do you? _You should run while I try and tag you,"_ He whispered. I shivered as I looked at all three of the enemies, seemingly looking down at me. I broke into another sprint, somehow dodging their attacks clumsily as I made my way by. They seemed too slow to catch up to me, which was a bit of relief. But still...

_Was the Invisible Man trying to kill me? Was he trying to kill Ness to? __**Where was that boy?**_

That's when I saw Ness. He looked worn down, and he spoke to the same man that transported me. My eyes widened.

_"__**Ness, don't talk to him!!"**_ I yelled as I sprinted towards them. The closer I got, the farther I felt, and I saw Ness turn to me, mystical eyes wide in surprise when he spotted me. But before I could reach him, he suddenly disappeared.

I halted suddenly when I was only a few feet away; the man in shades was looking down at me, I was sure of it. I balled up my fists, and gritted my teeth. _Boy was I mad..._ I didn't stop myself from walking up to the man; I grabbed his shirt violently.

_"That was him you idiot! __**Why the fuck did you do that?!**_" I asked enraged, feeling my blood turning into a boil. However, the man didn't speak, and his mouth formed a small smile. My eyes widened, especially when I heard the Invisible Man laugh again. He showed himself more visibly this time, as he leaned his arm on the man's shoulder.

"Awww, you were so close too. Looks like you'll have to start from scratch again," He taunted me. I gritted my teeth, I was so enraged that I-!

I grabbed my knife from my pocket and actually attempted to give the Invisible Man a nice slash, like he did to me in that dreaded room. However, my attempt went in vain, as he laughed harder, and literally jumped his way up above the hospital sign. Once he was up there, he skipped along the letters like a child in the rain.

_"__**Stop fucking around with me and let us out of this mess!!!"**_ I roared. However the more enraged I sounded, the more he giggled, like the child he was. He really was starting to sound insane.

"Not until I catch you dead my dear boy. But that wouldn't be fun would it? Let's make this game last for a long-"

_"__**There is nothing fun about this game of yours for it is only pissing me off!"**_ The Invisible Man squatted to look down at me. I was pretty sure I said the phrase wrong, Moonside wise, but he still seemed to understand my pain.

"Cummon... have a more friendly spirit; I only want to play before we all perish," He smiled flashing his god forsaken tooth that was starting to tick me off even more. I somehow had to lead this man to that sailor, but god he was only pissing me off the more we _played._

"_I don't feel like playing games, especially not with you."_ He frowned, as if I hurt his feelings. When he spoke again, his voice was coated with the voice of the man in the shades.

"Well... then hello... and _goodbye,"_ He said before flashing me a wicked evil grin. _Not this again..._ My sight was brought to a rush, as everything was moving at a blinding pace.

---

"Jeff... Jeff... come on, please wake up!" I felt someone shaking my shoulder as I slowly blinked my eyes awake to see a worry-some Ness hovering above me. When I looked at his eyes, I immediately looked away, feeling my sight go even more blurry from the side of my glasses.

"... Are you coming to?" He asked. I groaned grumpily, slowly brining one of my hands to graze my forehead.

"God, I've been looking everywhere for you in this freak place... "

"Same here... what happened to you?" He asked me. I sighed, as I finally decided to sit up.

"I don't know... but apparently that Invisible freak captured me... but enough explaining about me, we should be careful, especially you, the people here are becoming suspicious of our actions, I'm sure of it," I told him. Ness was silent for a moment. My eyes widened a bit when he spoke again.

"I found the Mani Mani statue... but there's a man blocking the way, and he said I needed someone else to pass though-"

"He wants Demetri... or as he likes to call himself now, the Invisible Man," I grumbled, thinking back at our creepy encounter.

"Well then we need to find him," Ness said. I gawked at him for a second.

"How can we, even bring that freak along with us in the first place?!" I asked feeling more frustrated. Ness bit his lip.

"We'll just have to find a way... and hope it works out somehow," Ness replied. I sighed as I sat up, feeling dizzy as I did so. But I was starting to get used to this place.

"He'll show up again... he either wants us to be one of them, or he'll kill us... that's the bet right now... at least that's what he said," I looked at Ness; the neon lights reflecting off his own silhouetted form. For some reason, I didn't feel like arguing with him. We were both mentally lost, as well as physically exhausted already, and the surroundings just didn't help us one bit.

"Ness... nah, I'll save it for when we get out of this mess. Where exactly are we right now anyways?" I asked rubbing my head thinking about the mind boggling things that the Invisible Man revealed.

"I'm not sure myself... but I feel so worn down, it's ridiculous..." He said as he rummaged though his backpack for what looked like a bottle of soda. I sighed.

"I feel like a klutz; my bag has gone missing, nonetheless my bottle rockets are packed away in it too," I told him. Ness paused for a second, until he pointed his finger up, as if he knew the solution, as he detached his baseball bat from his bag.

"You can use this for the time being," He smiled handing me his prized possession. I was skeptical.

"But Ness... don't you need this? It's your bat after all..." I said. Ness snorted.

"What? You don't think I could fend for myself? You don't have any PSI abilities of your own, it's the least I can do until we do find your bag again," He flashed me his usual crooked smile. I sighed out of my nose, looking down at the bat.

"Positive?" I asked.

"Positive," Ness replied. I smiled, taking the bat out of his hand. _Now I'm going to look like an enraged baseball fan swinging this around... _I thought. "At least I don't have to put my thinking logic in reverse when I talk to you," I told him. Ness looked as if something else dawned on him as he reached into his bag again. Eventually, he dug out something round; it was slightly bigger than a softball.

"I was meaning to give this to you a while back, this was an unused bomb me and Paula found a while back..." My eyes widened.

"You were carrying a _bomb_ with you this entire time?! What if you were caught with one of those, they would have sent you to jail!" I said. Ness's chuckle was nervous as he handed me the bomb, as I examined it.

"Well it's a good thing I _didn't_ get caught, right?" He snickered. I sighed. _Ness you dope..._ I sighed hopelessly.

"Yeah, it's a good thing that you didn't," I told him, shoving the now claimed bomb in one of my pockets, which made the side of my pants budge out slightly. "Now, how are we going to track him down in this place?" I said looking around, until I spotted a box with a ribbon. My eyebrow perked up as Ness walked over to the box.

"Hmm..." Ness noised as he opened the box. We both looked next to each other. Inside was a pendant of some sort; the long gem attached to it looked to be a glossy black. Ness carefully picked it up.

"Why is this box here with a pendant like this?" I asked.

"Someone must have left it here by accident... or by purpose. Do you want it?" Ness asked me. I slipped out the fiery red pendant I hid underneath my white blouse.

"Nah, I still have this that Paula gave me. Why don't you keep it, Ness?" I asked. Ness quickly nodded, forming 'Okay' on his mouth. It was around this time, that we both heard that same laughter again. I frowned.

"We should get going, I said, quickly grabbing Ness's wrist, and walking into an invisible wall with a bang.

_"Ouch! What the hell?"_ I cursed grabbing my forehead, as that same laughter occurred again.

"Jeff, turn around, we have company," Ness told me. When I did, there happened to be another weird abstract painting, waiting for us. Another thing about this journey period... what was with all of these living objects?! Ness started with one of his PSI abilities, while I braced myself with his bat. The strange floating picture started to charge at Ness, while he simply countered. The living painting backed off in a blaze of colors for a slight moment, until it boomeranged back towards me. On that cue, I hit it with the bat, as if it was an incoming ball in a game. The painting went flying, but at the same time, my arms roared in pain. I hissed, for I must have stretched some sort of muscle. Damn it, did I really need to get into shape. At least by this time, the painting was gone, which was sort of odd. We heard him giggle again, and I saw the Invisible Man for a spit second, until he took off again. I growled, grabbing my arm, while Ness sighed.

"Over there... another man in shades. Do you think he'll transport us somewhere else?" Ness asked. I ruffled my hair.

"It's worth a try at least..." And with that, we walked up to the man, until Ness halted me to a stop.

"Look..." Ness spoke in awe pointing to the distance. When I noticed what he was talking about, my eyes widened.

In front of the Moonside version of what had to be the Monotolli building was none other than Monotoli himself and now we could finally see what exactly he was chanting to.

"... _The Mani Mani statue..."_ Ness said as he tried making his way there, only to be caught by an invisible boundary. Ness cursed under his breath, gazing in the distance.

"...You remember why the Mani Mani statue must be destroyed, right?" Ness asked me. I was sure as to why, but I still shook my head no.

_"It's what Giygas uses... to contact and brainwash our world..."_ I took note at his suggestion.

"I still have no idea who or what this Giygas is though..." I replied. Ness nodded slowly.

"Come on, let's go talk to this guy," Ness said as we made our way towards the man in shades again. Ness was the first to ask.

"Hello?" Ness asked. The man lowered his glasses and cast his eyes to both of us.

"Hello... and... _goodbye,"_ He spoke before I grasped Ness's hand and we were off through another blaze of speed and light.

---

We suddenly ended up somewhere else on the outskirts of Moonside. We both stumbled at first. Getting back to our senses, I didn't realize I was still holding Ness's wrist until he struggled out of my grip. I let go immediately.

"I'm sorry... I just didn't want us to get separated again," I said sheepishly. Ness snorted.

"Haha... are you scared of this place?" Ness teased. I was baffled at his suggestion.

"Scared? Why would _I_ be scared?" I asked. Ness giggled.

"You seemed scared when you saw that alien in the department store, your face was white and your jaw was dropped to the floor. You looked like the masked killer from that 'scream' movie... cept more scared looking," The more Ness spoke the more he laughed as he looked at my changing expressions. He just knew the perfect times to poke fun at me, didn't he?

"Ha... you should have seen your face when we found Monotoli in Jackie's Cafe, you looked more than pale, you were purple," I replied back smirking evilly as Ness frowned slightly.

"Nuhu-" Ness started.

"Yahuh." I replied.

"Nuhuh..."

"Yahuh..."

"...Yahuh..."

"Exactly-?"

_**"JEFF, WATCH OUT!!!"**_ Ness screamed on the top of his lungs, pointing out in the distance. He seemed so serious as my heart skipped a beat, quickly facing the direction he pointed in, as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. However, when I collected myself again, bluntly seeing _nothing_ but pitch blackness ahead of us, Ness started to laugh again, as I started to feel my blood rise up to a boil. Keeping Paula in mind however, I kept my temper down around him as much as possible.

_"That was not funny at all,"_ I stated, but Ness only laughed harder. I growled to myself.

"Ness, this isn't a time for fun and games, we could be targeted right now, and we need to get to that Mani Mani statue, whether we need the Invisible Man or not." Ness whipped his eyes; he must have had a good laugh. I was sure my cheeks were a flame out of embarrassment and the more I realized it, the more I frowned and eventually closed my eyes. Thankfully, the darkness that was Moonside made it less noticeable.

"Let's just go," I spoke stubbornly walking towards another man in shades.

"Hey, wait for me!" Ness giggled as he caught up to me. I temporarily ignored him, walking by as my eyes spotted what looked like a belt that could be used for something. With that I picked it up without a second thought and was off towards the man in shades.

"Should I hold your hand?" Ness asked more innocently with a hint of laughter, but I was sure that he didn't mean it. Yet again, I didn't respond, as I said hello to the man. Ness was silent for a moment, until I caught him by surprise by grabbing his wrist again.

"Hello... and... _goodbye..."_ He said as we were off again in oblivion.

---

This time when we stumbled again, a strange lady watched us bewildered at our goofy fashion. Ness let go, as he brought up a hand to tentatively say hi to the lady. We were somewhat confused when she spoke to us.

"Before the soup get's cold, we must care for Mani Mani. Before the knife gets rusty, we must care for Mani Mani," She told us, which was somewhat odd to us. Ness and I looked at each other. Was Mani Mani some sort of god to these people as well?

Ness and I ventured further though this little section again, finding what spaces was real and what others were walls. Both of us were quiet now, which I was personally thankful for, as for I was still ticked off at the situation before hand. Eventually, we ran into, oddly enough a secret herb lying in a spare shopping bag that someone must have forgotten to pick up. Ness placed the herb in his back pack. We spotted a different looking man, but we decided to speak with him anyways.

"Hello and goodbye... should I?" He asked lowering his hat to greet us both. Ness and I flashed glances until I nodded as we both held hands.

"No," I responded.

"Well then... _goodbye!_" He smiled as we were off again. I could have sworn that more of this teleportation was going to blow parts of my brain out of my skull. While we teleported, I heard the Invisible Man's laughter again in the back of my mind.

---

I felt like we managed to progress in one big circle once we ended up in that door-less room. It looked exactly like the room I woke up in with the Invisible Man, excluding the fact that this time, we were literally trapped in here. There was a strange man with a mohock, who grumbled when he saw us.

"Now how'd you two kids get in here? Can't you see I'm doing _nothing?_ So please don't bother me right now," He said as he walked into a corner and crouched down. Ness looked at me in question, but I could only respond by shrugging. Ness walked up to the man, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I _told_ you that I was busy doing _nothing_ right now!" He said. Was this an insane institute or something?

"Excuse me... how do we get out of here?" Ness asked. The man paused.

"Mmmm, too busy right now, why don't you ask the gentleman on the other side of this room." Ness looked over to me.

"You can see him, right?" He said before turning back to his... _nothingness._ Ness scanned his eyes across the room around me. His eyes widened slightly. It was then that I started to hear him laughing again, this time sounding more insane than ever. I turned around, and saw his shady figure, curled on the floor as he rocked back and forth; his knees were withdrawn and his toothy grin shimmered in the darkness.

"Alright, enough of this. We found you; Ness and I are back together, there's not much you can do now," I told him. However he kept snickering to himself, as he shivered. The way he did so was starting to scare is in a way..."

"Hey... Invisible Man... or whatever you go by... if we do something for you, would you help us get pass the sailor?" Ness asked politely. When I glanced over to him, he winced once we both heard his voice. It sounded like he was chanting...

_"Yes... that's right... Giygas... Giygas..."_ My eyes widened, I was sure Ness's did the same.

"G... Giygas you said?" Ness asked in a shaken tone. However, the Invisible Man kept chanting to himself, as if he really had gone mentally insane from everything.

_"Stop them... stop them you say?"_ We were frozen stiff, especially when he finally had the guts to stand up. His unfocused red eyes went from mine, then to Ness. I braced myself.

"What about... _Giygas?"_ Ness questioned the man. The Invisible Man then cocked his head to the side, and he reached his arm out, and started to take a step forward.

"_Ness you say? Yes... we must stop Ness... kill Ness... stop Ness..." _ He said, reaching out for Ness's shoulder. I grabbed out my knife and pointed it at him, as I swiftly blocked Ness from this strange man's actions.. For some odd reason, I possibly felt overprotective, but I didn't want to take any chances in any way. This had really gotten out of hand, and at this time, he had really lost it.

_"Don't you dare touch him..."_ I ordered. Both of them looked at me, as the Invisible Man withdrew his hand slowly. All three of us stood there, with no words, just staring that the lost man, as he looked down; his long dark curly hair now covered most of his face. Eventually, he faded away into the darkness, murmuring to himself. It was so low that it was indecipherable.

"..._Jeff... he..."_ I was unresponsive, looking at the spot where the Invisible Man stood.

"... Let's go... we don't need him to get into that place we can find our own way in, "Ness said as he started to walk away. After another moment, I slowly complied, as we talked to the other man in the corner so we could get out.

_Something terribly wrong was happening... and I still wasn't even clear as to what awaited us later on..._

---

We ended up in a hotel room when we were teleported out. Ness and I looked around us suspiciously.

"I don't like this..." I said.

"Me neither..." Being as careful as possible we turned the door knob, and made our way down the incandescently lit hallway. Ness looked behind us. Both of us felt as if we were being followed. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Just keep moving forward... don't look back," I told him, feeling a lump in my throat. Ness silently complied.

---

When we were both out on the street's making our way towards the area where I spoke to that man, I finally muttered something.

"I wonder who else in this city happens to have a golden tooth we could flash the sailor and blind him so we can get passed him," I said sounding sarcastic. Ness was about to speak, until we were interrupted.

"_Haha, you two shouldn't even try... he doesn't want to see just any gold tooth," _We heard that familiar voice speak out loud. Both of us started to pick up the pace even faster now; the people around us looking at us with odd expressions as we passed by.

_"And my uni-brow is one of a kind. Face it, you two are through."_

_Oh god..._ I thought to myself, as we kept walking, closely sholder to shoulder.

---

Eventually, when we got to the point with the sailor man, he was already gone from that spot.

"What's..." Ness started until he picked his pace up to a jog passed me.

"Ness, wait!" I hollered at him as I chased after him.

When I was finally able to catch up to him, he stood silently, gazing at what was now in front of us.

Apparently, Monotolli hadn't left after all, and he was facing us; his horrified face shining on his facial features, as he scanned his nervous doe eyes back and forth between us. This time however, I got to get a good look at the Mani Mani statue itself; I didn't realize how much I was actually shivering from the sight of it.

It was definitely a golden statue alright, but something scary and evil rafted from it and Ness was way more aware of it than me, I was sure. The way the statue looked... I could have sworn it was looking straight at us with its glittering pupil less eyes.

It looked like a bright and shining demon; its long horns on its head extended another good four feet above its head, though the statue was just tall anyways. It stood on a stand and its arms were crossed, as it held what looked like some sort of staff. The more I looked at it the more my mind became hazy, strange, and it didn't help the fact that it looked like...

_"No... no... not you... not you two, stay away from me!_" Monotolli yelled as Ness took a step forward. It sounded like Monotolli wasn't trying to speak like a resident from Moonside just by judging by his expression. The more Ness tried to emerge to him.

"Just tell me... _where is Paula Polestar?"_ Ness asked as calmly as possible though his voice sounded rather strange. Monotolli took three more big steps back.

_"No..__.__ you're mistaken... I'm not Monotolli... __**I'm not Monotolli!!"**_ He shouted as he started to run. All the sudden though, he vanished, as I heard Ness gasp. When I looked back at the glittering statue, the Invisible Man was standing on the infamous Mani Mani's head. His laughter was wild, and daunting.

"See? This was fun, wasn't it? I was nice to you two by getting rid of that man that blocked the path to get here. Cept, were nearing the end..." He grinned evilly. Ness frowned at this, I could tell.

_"What has your purpose been this entire time?!" _ Ness asked squeezing his fists.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Ness... I'm only doing something that everyone else against you has always been doing... _Giygas gave me, as well as many others the role to stop you in your journeys. I'm only pursuing that order._" He grinned, as his tooth sparkled. "So let's see… with this be a farewell… or a _farewell_? We'll see how you two rats play this game," He snickered as he touched the Mani Mani statue. Ness and I flinched.

Somehow, the statue repelled him, and the Invisible Man flew off into the distance and tumbled across the ground, right passed Ness and I. Ness exhaled nervously as we both turned to him. At first, we thought that he was dead, until he managed to utter a laugh.

_"Gah… gahahaha… __**gahahahahahahahahahaha!!!**__"_ He started to laugh, as he held his forehead on his knees. Ness frowned, and paced his way up to him, only to be stopped when the Invisible Man disappeared again. It was then that we both clenched our ears from a random screech. Both of us spun around quickly, where I found myself to be momentarily paralyzed.

All the sudden, the Evil Mani Mani's eyes started to glow a brilliant cyan. Trying to keep a certain thought from entering my mind, I watched as the Mani Mani's head twitched to the side with a crack to the neck. Ness backed up passed me, but my feet were glued stuck, and my breath was caught. Mani Mani stood tall, taller than the both of us and most of the street signs. Its arms slowly parted from its chest, and it held its staff out. Its eyes looked straight at my own. I was petrified, frozen in fear.

_"Kill… Ness and Jeff…"_ I heard the inhumane voice in my head speak. My mind felt like shattering.

_It was only all because of the memories I had of the astronaut in the park, flashing back to me. _So the more that similar fear kept rising inside of me, the more I stood silently, gawking up at Mani Mani. Eyes wide and chest caught, I watched as the statue rose out its stalf; a bright and shining light started to form. The situation was just all too familiar.

_**"Jeff!!"**_ Ness must have tackled me to the ground out of the way, as I tumbled to the ground with a thud. I felt momentarily blind and I could feel tears welling on the corners of my eyes.

_"__**Get up you idiot!!"**_ Ness ordered as he tried dragging me up to my feet. My legs felt like spaghetti and my eye sight was hazier than it had to be. I felt dizzy as I felt Ness dragging me as we ran. Shaking my head, I tried looking up at the now living statue that reminded me of the astronaut; maybe they didn't look exactly alike, but they were similar enough. There was another flash, though this time it came from a beam that I assumed shot from the tip of its staff.

"_Jeff, please stop stalling!!"_ Ness half ranted, half begged from me shaking my shoulders. I shook my head again; I was at loss of thoughts and words. I could tell, by finally looking at him, Ness's eyes were filled with worry, anger and something else. It was then that there was another flash of light, as both of us separated with a loud and strong force.

I tumbled with a painful thud on the same arm that I slightly injured earlier. I tried getting up as fast I could, until I felt someone's foot step on the side of my ribs, trailing towards my hand that was flat on the ground. Looking up, it was the Invisible Man again. As he twisted his foot, grinding my hand into the ground, I yelped in pain.

_"You're useless..."_ He told me in a monotone voice. I growled.

_"You're pissing me off,"_ I replied, hearing Ness yelp while I cringed. I heard him chuckled, as I finally had it. Swinging my left leg up as far as it could go; I managed to kick the now visible Demetri like man in the back of the knee, forcing him onto the ground. I took this opportunity to shoot back up on my feet, and point my knife at him. Looking around me, I tried spotting the bat I must have accidentally dropped when we were blown apart. Looking back down at the Invisible Man, he chuckled nervously.

"Seriously scientist, what can you do? You're useless without your tools and your thinking logic won't be enough to save you," He told me flashing his golden tooth.

_"Well then I want answers, you cheapskate!"_ I roared at him.

"What can I ever offer? I thought we already played this game-"

_"Yes, you got your answers, now I want mine. If you really are Demetri, if you wrote that letter to us in the hostel and IF you did work for Pokey and Monotolli, then you must know where __**they are hiding Paula Polestar!!!"**_ I stated more than questioned as he snickered under his breath. The light that shown from Mani Mani created dancing shadows on his features. I heard Ness run up to me.

"What the-"

"**Were you part of the reason why she's missing? **_**Was that you little magic trick? Or is this freak house of a fucking city your magic trick? Remember? Way back in hostel? Was this the magic trick you were so eager to show me?!"**_ I started to walk around him. Ness seemed to gawk at us in horror. It was a matter of moments when the Invisible Man started to howl in laughter.

_"You... tell me..."_ Ness asked, as his voice sounded weak.

"Ness, stay back," I tried ordering, but Ness got on his knees to grab the Invisible Man's shirt.

_"__**Where is she?! **__Is Pokey hiding her? Or is she with Monotolli?!" _Ness asked trying to conceal a snarl. I winced at his spurt of anger and sadness. The way the Invisible Man sneered in Ness's face made me shiver slightly.

_"Well prodigy... you should worry about your own __**lives**__ before worrying about the safety of one of your pitiful friends, now shouldn't you?"_ He said before disappearing for the very last time. Ness searched around him frantically.

_"Where is he?!"_ Ness questioned before we turned back to Mani Mani, who had just gotten back slowly to its feet.

_"What do we do..."_ I mumbled feeling that similar fear welling up in my chest again. Mani Mani took a moment to stare at us intentionally, until it aimed its stalf at us, glossy eyes glowing blue again. As I was about to jump out of the way, Ness jumped in front of me and countered his attack with his own special PSI abilities.

_"Ness!"_ I exclaimed.

_"Go find my bat!"_ Ness told me, as he pushed me out of the way, jumping the opposite way as another beam of light shot at us. As quickly as I could, I got back up, feeling my wobbly legs barely giving way.

_"But Ness!"_

_"I can take care of him in the mean time!" _Ness said. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at him and nodded. _I was sick and tired, just watching from the sidelines as he'd put himself in danger. I felt more useless than ever... just like the Invisible Man said._ And the fact that my childhood fears kept crawling in the back of my mind made me feel more pathetic than I should.

I shook my head before scanning the practically black ground for any sign of Ness's bat as the brutal fight between Mani Mani and Ness prevailed. I kept glancing back; anxious and worried if Mani Mani would get the upper hand. Another flash occurred, and I quickly covered my eyes, feeling more tears well up. It was just all too much.

Every time though, for some reason as Mani Mani kept lighting up the atmosphere, the ground looked more like a floor and I could have sworn that I saw boxes around us. But I ignored that and focused on what was important; his bat I thought.

Finally, after the third blinding flash, the bat was revealed, closer to Mani Mani than I intentionally planned. Feeling chicken, but brave at the same time, I stepped closer to Mani Mani and the bat. I quickly reached down to grab it. It was then that Mani Mani faced me again; its eyes felt paralyzing as I momentarily froze. It pointed its staff just then.

_"__**Jeff!!"**_ Ness's cry was enough to shake me out of my reverie as I managed to dash out of the way as another beam blasted away like a bullet. Using more of his PSI abilities, Mani Mani was shaken up as Ness attacked it. Mani Mani however managed to take a step closer to Ness. Ness extended his arms out in attempt to attack again, but nothing happened. By this time, Mani Mani stomped closer to Ness and he backed up, looking up at the Mani Mani, eyes wide in horror. I wasn't sure what happened to me then or why, but something energizing rose in my veins and I felt enraged. Thinking back at the situation, it might have been just because of what Mani Mani ultimately reminded me of.

Looking at Ness's bat, I thought of how Ness used to swing at random encounters we had randomly run across in our journey so far. He was gifted at it and while he seemed graceful at the sport of baseball, I barely appreciated it until now. I tightened my grip on the bat as I let my other hand sneak into my pocket as I pulled out the bomb.

_"Hey!"_ I yelled at Mani Mani. It froze momentarily; slowly turning its cromatic head towards me. It felt like time had stopped then and it gave me a moment to think about what I was about to do. I raised the bomb up to my mouth and with my teeth, pulled out the small stick that kept the bomb from ticking. I prayed then that I was able to pull something risky like this off. But what could I say, I was reckless period and I was known for it back at school.

_"You leave him alone,"_ I told it, as I tossed the bomb up; quickly grasping the bat; when the bomb came falling back down, I bit my lip as I tried to make this swing my strongest one, ignoring my stretched muscle as I set the bomb flying towards Mani Mani.

The collision between the flying bomb and Mani Mani set off fireworks, as the statue fell to the ground; it's glossy complexion cracking on the spot once the smoke cleared. Mani Mani struggled on its knees, as it tried to collect the little strength it had left to get back up. Around this time, the atmosphere around us spun slowly and faded inside out. I managed to walk up to the statue, as so did Ness slowly. I glanced at Ness's trembling fists that he held to his sides.

"Woudl you like to do the honors?" I asked him, handing him his rightful bat. Ness was wordless as he practically snatched the bat angrily out of my grasp and held it high above his head, taking one last look at the evil Mani Mani that he had faced though his journey, even before I joined the party. Ness roared angrily as he started to aggressively whack Mani Mani senseless, feeling myself slightly flinch as shards went flying and the atmosphere shifting around us. Ness took one last cry and managed to hit a smashing swing, which made the Evil Mani Mani's body break in half. Everything around us twisted at blinding speed, as it faded away, hearing Ness's angry pants to go along with it...

---

Everything that was once Moonside was now gone and it seemed like hours as we stood in the back storage room in Jackie's Cafe where we last were. I could hear the faint jazz music from the Jukebox playing in the back ground, behind the sound of Ness's heavy breathing as he dropped the baseball bat, making a loud set of metallic clanks. I felt more dizzy and lost than ever and I was sure that Ness felt the exact same way.

All we could do then in that dimly lit room was stare blankly at the broken statue that lay in front of us. I raised a hand to grasp my head while I could see Ness fall to his knees on the corner of my eye.

_"That... that was it? It was all just a mirage...?"_ Ness managed to utter. I was silent, sighing out my nose and closing my eyes. Another moment of silence.

_"I was... __**so close**__... so close to finding out where... where Paula..."_ Ness's words sounded muffled, as if he was about to cry. It was then that I couldn't help but feel sympathy. He needed her more than ever. And because of that, I felt barely significant.

_"Ness..."_ I spoke softly, feeling my sight spin as I tilted my head down towards him. He still stared at the shattered statue with his blank teary eyes. He was out of words as he tried to fight off tears. I inwardly cringed, I hated to be the one to try and cheer one up; I wasn't sure exactly what the right thing was to do. I sighed.

"We won't make any progress finding her if we stay here and mope," I told him in a strange tone. Ness turned his head slightly away from me. I frowned at this.

"Hey... look at it this way at least we destroyed the Mani Mani statue... right?" I said feeling my voice falter. Ness rubbed his eyes as he slowly nodded his head. It didn't mean that I made any progress at cheering him up. _This was going to be tough,_ I thought.

"Do... do you need help getting up?" I asked somewhat shyly. Ness nodded slightly as he tried to get up on his knees, somewhat struggling in the process. The best I could do then was to offer my hand to his. He sloppily accepted it as I gripped him more firmly to drag him up to his feet. And unlike back in Moonside when he did so for me successfully, I wasn't too good at the art.

When Ness finally _did_ get on his feet, he stumbled a bit backwards. Our eyes widened as I tried keeping him up by pulling him back towards me. When I did, I must have done it enough to where he stumbled a bit towards me, colliding into me as his forehead lightly rammed into my collar bone. I felt my cheeks heat up once we were this intimately close and my heart rate sped up, faster than when I was with the Invisible Man.

Ness used my body as a propping tool as he grabbed my arms to try and stand up straight. His cheeks looked flushed as well and it was as I looked at him when I felt one of my knee's give way again. This time I grabbed Ness's shoulder to keep me up, but in the end, we both tumbled back onto the floor, as it felt like the same scenario from the hostel was repeating itself again.

I fell on my back while Ness tumbled on top of my side. I felt my glasses fall out of line as I let off a strangled sigh. Ness stirred on top of me, as I hoped to _god_ that we weren't as close as we were the last time. Feeling my lips curve into my mouth, I squinted once I saw Ness's face hovering a good few inches above me. I looked up at him, not sure what my facial expression looked like, but Ness's looked rather odd. And when he let off a snort, I think I knew why.

"Wha-?" I slightly questioned as Ness snorted again, looking away as he started to snicker to himself. It took me a second until I let off a small chuckle. It was a silent kind of humor between us, but our dizzy drunk behavior was enough to make our snickers turn into full, real laughter as Ness plopped next to me on his back. We both sighed as we looked at the ceiling. Just the fact that we ironically sighed was enough to make me fall into another period of laughter, and Ness followed it.

It felt like an hour went by, though it was probably only ten minutes or so. I turned my head to the side, as I saw a mouse scurry by, taking one glance at our humorously pathetic appearance. I chuckled.

"I bet that mouse thinks we're crazy," I commented. Ness replied with a snort.

"It's probably been thinking that for a while now." Feeling more strength in my system, I sat up. Looking across the room, I spotted something I had worried about looking for in Moonside.

"There's my bag," I spoke out loud, getting up onto my feet with a lot more ease now as I dusted my pants off.

"Well that kinda sucks, how it shows up now that you don't need it at the moment," Ness told me as he still lay on the floor. I picked up my bag and wrapped the strap around my shoulder.

"Jeff...?" Ness asked.

"Yeah?"

"... Do you think we'll find Paula soon?" He asked me. I felt the corner of my mouth curve down slightly.

"Well... we'll never find out if we keep stalling inside this room. Need _real_ help this time getting on your feet?" I asked him. Ness's lazy eyes met mine.

"Only if you mean it," He replied, as if I had broken a forgiven promise before.

"I do..." I replied sheepishly strolling over to his side to offer my hand. This time, he grabbed it with strength and determination. Ness got up successfully on his feet this time. We looked at each other for a second, eye to eye. His tears were dried up and he flashed me a cocky grin.

"Let's get out of here," Ness said as he got his bat and walking passed me. I looked at his back; he still wore my white button down shirt. Shaking my head, I followed him not long after.

---

"Do you sell any sort of yogurt here? Specifically trout flavored yogurt?" We saw a lady in her early twenties asking the bar tender.

"Umm... sorry?" He replied with an upset; confused expression. The blond lady sulked a bit as she made her way towards the door. When the bar tender spotted us, he looked a bit baffled, but he said nothing. Ness and I exchanged glances as we shrugged. As we ventured through the cafe; jazz music filling the air, another ring filled our ears.

"Oh!" Ness exclaimed as he took his backpack and rummaged through it, taking out the receiver phone.

"Hello? Hi, Apple Kid..." Apple Kid again, eh? I scoffed to myself, remembering him praising my so called father.

"Wait what... _seriously?_ But why would I even... care? ... You're sending it to us... by neglected class? ...O...kay..." Ness said before hanging up the phone.

"It sounds like he's having some technical difficulties. But he said he was sending us a gourmet yogurt machine..." Ness said. I raised my eyebrow.

"Hey young lad, did you just say something about a yogurt machine?" A man sitting at a nearby table asked. Ness glanced at me nervously.

"Yeah...?

"Well, did you just see that young lady that was just here? Her name is Electra I believe... I think she's looking for a machine that makes yogurt, though I'm not sure why. She's especially looking for one that can produce trout flavored yogurt." He explained. Ness's eyes widened slightly.

"Do you know where she's heading, or where she lives?" He asked. However, the man shook his head.

"All I know is that she works over in the Monotolli building... I think she works for that Pokey Minch guy everyone's been talking about." Both of us momentarily froze. Ness nodded.

"Thank you for telling me all you know," He told him before we made our way out of Jackie's Cafe for the final time.

---

Once we stepped out into the setting sunlight, I squinted. But Ness seemed to flinch as something rushed passed us and crashed into the wall. My eyebrows perked up.

"What was that?" I asked out loud. Looking passed Ness, we saw what I believed looked like a monkey, covered in black burnt soot. The wall it crashed in was covered in a ring of burnt black. Ness walked up to the monkey without a second thought, me however being a bit tentative. The monkey shook its fur and looked at both of us. It then started to make hand gestures and making noises. I had no idea what it was trying to tell us, but Ness studied the creature carefully.

"Someone's... waiting for us?" Ness spoke out loud. The monkey nodded, pointing out in the distance.

"... An oasis in the middle of the desert? Uhhh... we could swing by over there sometime..." Ness sounded a little unsure. My jaw could have dropped from the fact that he was communicating with a monkey, but with his other special abilities, it was to be expected. I suddenly remembered that strange monkey up in Winters, the one that loved to blow bubble gum and used it practically as a helium balloon.

"A cave? ... Okay..." Ness spoke as the monkey looked like it was bracing itself for something big. In a matter of moments, the monkey took off at lightning speed; wincing as it crashed into a nearby tree. But it only picked itself up and took off again.

"What the hell?" I spoke out loud as we heard someone panting behind us. Ness and I spun around quickly to see a tuckered out chubby man holding an empty bag.

"Hello... I'm Escargo Express's neglected class... umm... about your package... I kinda forgot it in the desert when I spoke to a sunbathing guy," He chuckled nervously.

"_What?"_ Ness didn't sound too happy.

"Well... what could I do? It doesn't matter now... if you _really_ want that _gourmet yogurt machine_, I suggest you go find it yourself... -gasp- ..." He gasped on air as he tumbled into the bar. Ness growled.

_"Great, I guess it looks like we'll be walking to the desert now,"_ Ness grunted looking around us.

"Isn't it possible that we could just take the bus there? I remember a bus stop there anyways... we're tired... and if we keep ourselves in each others clothes, we shouldn't be as noticeable, right?" I mentioned. Ness took a moment to soak my words in.

"Yeah... I guess you could say that," Ness smiled ruffling his black hair with his hand. "Let's go find a bus stop then-"

_"Wait!"_ We heard a lady holler behind us. We both sighed and turned around; I hoped it wasn't someone that was suspicious of our appearance. When we saw her, it looked like the same lady from Jackie's Cafe. She panted, resting her hands on her knees once she caught up to us.

"Let me guess... is your name Electra or something like that?" I asked her. Something clicked in her expression.

"Yes in fact... wow you must be pretty good with names; I've never met you before..." She looked at us suspiciously. Shaking her head, she continued without a second thought.

"Anyways, I was hoping you two could help me out. You see... I overhead you thee talking about a yogurt machine... does it happen to make trout flavored yogurt by any chance?" She asked making a prayer gesture. Ness and I looked at each other.

"Yeah... it does, but we don't have it now..." Ness explained. She sighed.

"I see... I was hoping to serve some trout flavored yogurt to a special guest that's supposed to appear at the Monotolli building... I happen to be one of the maids there." Ness's eyes widened.

"Wait a second... what would you pay us if we got you that gourmet yogurt machine?" Ness asked.

"Well... I'm not quite sure... I could make you some yogurt at least," She smiled sheepishly. Ness's mouth curved up.

"I know... if you want that yogurt machine... could you let us up on the higher floors of the Monotolli tower?" Ness asked. Electra looked a bit confused at first.

"Well... I was actually hoping you'd deliver it to me there... this is one of my very few days off after all," She explained. Ness looked interested; it was easy to know why. It was as if everything was suddenly falling into our laps, like the sign of golden hope we've been searching for.

"What floor do you reside on?" Ness asked.

"The 48th floor. You'll have to take the private elevator to get up there. So just show them this note with my signature as well as Monotolli's and you'll be golden when you get up there," She winked before walking away.

"Thank you; I hope to see you there, I've been searching and searching everywhere..." She said before walking off.

"Jeff..."

"Yeah?"

"... Let's catch the closest and soonest bus... we're going back to the desert," He told me confidently with a grin. I couldn't help but smile; _this was the most enthusiasm he's shown in quite a while_, I thought.

"Of course... let's get going," I smiled back as we were finally off again.

---

We waited and waited at the bus stop; silence rising between us. I was sure that both of us were itching to break that silence; there was so much to be said and asked! But as much as I wouldn't have loved to asked, I was quiet, for I wasn't sure how to form any words at the moment.

"Hey..."

"Hmmm?"

"... Remember our first night here?" Ness asked me.

"Yeah?"

"Well... what did you and Demetri talk about when you went to go and find him?" Ness asked. One of the things I wished he wouldn't have asked, but I should have known it was going to be brought up one of these days. I sighed.

"Well... I went to find him, because I didn't like how he treated you. You know how he treated you, he just... my suspicions were correct though." Ness knew exactly what I meant and at a certain degree, he probably knew more.

"... _Do you really think he was the Invisible Man?"_ Ness asked as we both saw the bus approaching us. It took a moment for me to reply as the bus slowed in front of us.

"Even so... I guess it really doesn't matter now... he's out of the picture now. Let's just hope it stays like that," I told him, offering him to go in before me. Ness nodded and complied.

As we made our way towards the near back of the bus, Ness sat by the window while I sat next to him. We didn't say much more after that; we were both seemingly exhausted. I watched the scenery that was Fourside... happily knowing we were free from Moonside as I felt the bus rock me to sleep.


	15. The Flying Boy

A/N: I want to thank of course, Pure-White-Angel22, the Leander, Orkidee, Margariita, DanMat6288, and Netus Versatus for the reviews on my last chapter! As well as thanks to all of those that have read this series and enjoyed it so far! You guys are awesome in my book! I'm also going to go ahead and try to edit the things that Netus pointed out in the last chapter, though I should do that with most of my past chapters. xc As for Margariita's question about if Jeff was jealous or not. He actually isn't and if it seemed like he was jealous of Paula, I apologize for making it look like that! xD He just feels bad for Ness missing his only other friend with PSI powers. xP

I also want to specifically thank Sashie and Yuku on this chapter especially for helping me out with my momentary writer's block. So this chapter will be dedicated to you two especially! So I hope this chapter came out alright! Cx

I'm not going to have too long of an author's note right now, but to say ahead of time, this chapter while it doesn't have much to any action in it at all, some of the things in here are pretty important in the long run. I also wanted to get this up before a whole month passed by. I'll try to see if I can get the next chapter up anytime soon.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!

XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxXxxxX

_I was seven at the time when I built my first bottle rocket from scratch. It was a science project made for eighth graders, but Maxwell insisted, he told me he needed to know what he was going to teach when the time came along, and I would have to know someday as well. Of course, I needed Maxwell's help then, but it was all worth the while. I stayed over my half an hour trial that I had to waste, for me and Maxwell decided to test the rocket out on the roof. It was after school on Friday, which meant that I still needed to spend a half an hour with Maxwell after class, not for detention they said, but I think it was their way of putting me into some kind of 'rehab.'_

_There was a door on the ceiling with a string in Maxwell's room. When you pulled it, a ladder leading outside on the roof would come down; of course along with it, some piles of snow as well._

_"Let's see what this sucker can do, shall we?" Maxwell snickered to me. When I climbed up the snow covered ladder, I smiled as I could see and feel the sun setting. It was bright, and filled with a glow that reflected off of the shimmering snow from the roof, the frost covered trees and the snow down below on the boarding school grounds. I hadn't seen a sunset this pink and orange in a long time. Though the soft, cold breeze was refreshing, it still reminded me that I wasn't back where I used to live. I looked down, leaning against the brick railing as I saw kids my age playing, doing homework, or just hanging out._

_"Wanna help me set up the rocket, Jeff?" Maxwell asked sincerely. I nodded silently, my smile shown just slightly. I was still a rather quiet kid at the time._

_It was just a matter of setting the rocket on the stand, and aiming it up towards the nearby lake, just in case if it malfunctioned in any way. Maxwell took out a packet of matches._

_"Wanna do the honors?" Maxwell asked handing me the packet of matches. I gave him the most bewildered look I have ever expressed. I think it was also the most I had spoken all day._

_"You're going to let a young kid like me light a match, and risk the school burning up? I've never lit a match before..." I asked. Maxwell shrugged casually, moving his short chestnut brown hair out of his ear._

_"Yeah, why not? Here, I'll show you," Maxwell said kneeling besides me to hold my hands into his. I shivered from the contact for it was something I still wasn't used to. With his own hands, he guided mine as I was able to light my very first match._

_"Light that sucker, bad boy!" Maxwell told me as I quickly brought the flame to the tip of the string. Once it sparked, I blew my match out instantly, and dropped it in a nearby pile of snow. We watched in both excitement, and fear as it flew off, successfully to the lake, making a crash landing into the water from afar. Maxwell literally stood on the very edge of the building to put his hand over his eyes to see the rocket's last moments in the pond. The trail of smoke steadily broke apart from the slight breeze. He whistled._

_"Looks like we did it fairly well, Jeff; that was some crash landing!" Maxwell grinned down to me. I grinned myself as he ruffled my blond hair. His bright teeth reflected the soft pink glowing sky._

_"Job well done, bad boy, you're the only kid in this entire school that has lit their first bottle rocket at the age of seven, let alone built one!" I didn't really say anything, but he knew by my cheesy grin that I was proud in some way, shape or form. Maxwell chuckled at my silly appearance._

_"Hey… can you keep the fact that I let a seven year old light a match a secret?" He asked sheepishly, as he rubbed the back of his neck. I nodded cheekily. Maxwell and I looked up to the pink sky._

_"You know… at this rate, you'll become more brilliant than your father, I just know it."_

XxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 15 The Flying Boy_

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

It took me a little bit to register that I was on a bus when I became conscious from slumber. It seemed dark enough to where some of the bus lights would be on. My half lidded eyes wandered the back of the seat in front of me while I rested my head on the side of something. Yawning and stretching my arms out, whatever my head leaned on started to stir. My eyes snapped open in surprise as I sat up somewhat swiftly. Looking to the right of me, leaning next to the bus window was Ness; eyes closed as he let off a sigh out of his nose. It took me a little bit to register this into my head as well.

_Was I really leaning my head on his shoulder this entire time?_ I thought embarrassingly to myself. Trying to ignore what I probably did, I let my eyes wander silently around the bus. Looking outside, it was still dark and by checking my watch, it was around five o clock in the morning. There were only a few people on the bus still. I sighed, as I let the back of my head rest against the seat, when I finally traveled my sight over to Ness.

It was easy to say now that my life has been everything but normal. What was even worse was that while it was far from normal, it still hardly made any sense to me. It had been in the back of my mind for my entire life, but it was only now that I was starting to accept any of this change. It was as if the scenario with me starting boarding school was repeating itself over again, except in a contrasting fashion of course. I looked down at my hands now.

It was hard for me to imagine… that I was someone extraordinary. However, I always denied myself for being normal either, just because of who I was and what I've gone through. In that sense, this journey made me feel as if I had found; or am finding a part of me that I have lost. Maybe it was this out of the box feeling that has left me dumbfounded for weeks.

"I haven't built or repaired anything useful in a long while…" I mutely mumbled on my lips. I wasn't sure how long; probably a few minutes, that I studied my now pulsing, stronger hands.

_"The Apple of Enlightenment pictured this too... four individuals that have the eyes to recognize this pure evil... while you could spot my weakness... Ness could see my sins."_ The Invisible man repeated in my mind.

If this was true… it could explain a bit; how I was able to figure things out better than most of my classmates. It also explained how I could also tell what was wrong with Tony… if he was ever feeling down. It also would explain why I was traveling with Ness… and Paula if we ever got her back. But it still boggled me to _why. Why_ do I wield these eyes? _What _is the evil; Giygas that I am supposed to seek? What will this _Giygas_ do if I don't help them stop it? Maybe I needed to look at the situation in a different pair of lenses… My eyes drifted over to Ness again.

Yet again, he looked as peaceful as always when he slept. The more I looked at him, the more I wondered about what the Invisible Man… no, what Demetri told me and why he was so eager to figure out Ness in the first place. He must have figured that Ness would be able to seek the Mani Mani statue with ease, so in return; I guessed he would have used him either way…

_But then yet... if he didn't use Ness, then how did he end up in Moonside?_ My mind focused on this question for a while. I figured it had to be Monotoli, Pokey, or maybe even Giygas that led him to his precious statue. I wondered, in the end, did he get what he wanted? And whether or not, was he just his own shady character, or did he affiliate with us or them? My eyes focused on Ness's passive sleeping face.

… I was always curious, even when I first met Ness. What was everything like through his eyes? What did he see when looking into Demetri… to Paula… at me? What did he see when he looked in _my_ eyes? Maybe it was the same thing with me… I couldn't see his weakness clearly; was it possible that he couldn't see my sins for the same unknown reasons? My mind started to wander again.

_"So Jeff… isn't he gorgeous?_" Pokey spoke in my mind.

… Ultimately… what did he see when he looked at Pokey Minch? Come to think of it… what did _I_ see? He was another one that was seemingly unreadable. Maybe it was because he knew our abilities? No… maybe there was something else. All I could remember from looking into his eyes was pure chaos… so much that it was frightening and infuriating. Studying Ness again, I came to another conclusion. It was obvious… he spoke about Ness a lot and how he did so was just merely… Maybe… possibly… was _Ness_ Pokey's ultimate weakness? If so… _why?_

That was when my eyes finally trailed down to Ness's lap, noticing a notebook that he must have been carrying. My eye brow perked up the more I studied the lined paper, doodled over in what looked like crayons. Did Ness like to color once and a while? Carefully, I took the notebook into my hands without waking him up, and flipped through the pages. The first page read in big red and yellow letters, _The Flying Man._ The Flying Man? I turned the page to find them doodled over by multiple drawn pictures of what looked like a humanoid yellow bird with red and golden feathers flying though the sky, and saving a crashing plane. The next page showed the Flying Man perched on top of a tall mountain. My mouth curved slightly. _This was probably a fictional character he made up,_ I thought. However, when I flipped the page, things started to get interesting.

Someone else must have drawn on the pages along with him, for some images of the Flying Man were better illustrated than others. They were somewhat phenomenal, I thought. Whoever drew them must have been a gifted artist. Then when I flipped the page again, my breath caught and my eyes went wide as I studied the picture.

It took up two pages of the book. In the background, there was a small house on a hilltop with multiple Flying Men in the distance living their daily lives. But it was what was in the foreground that boggled my mind. It was a picture of what looked like Ness, holding up a peace sign, while his other hand held someone else's hand. The other figure had a semi smile on his face; eyes hidden in messy blond hair. He wore a white shirt, and blue overalls; one strap loose and off his shoulder. Nonetheless, both of them looked very happy.

"…_Pokey…?"_ I mumbled. It was almost unbelievable. "I thought they…" But then I thought again. This drawing must have been older; they were once friends… right? The more I studied the picture, the more I thought back at our conversation in the Monotolli building. I still couldn't believe that the conversation still lingered in my mind. I could still picture perfectly how twisted, yet fashionable he really appeared. Trying to push these thoughts aside, I flipped the page, until I felt Ness next to me stir. I immediately closed the notebook, and placed it on his lap again and tried looking like I was digging into nobody's business.

"Oh… I must have forgotten to put that away before I dozed off… you didn't look through it… did you?" Ness asked me, assuming I was awake. When I turned my head to him, he was looking right at me; there were little bags hanging below his eyes; he looked tired. I felt pretty guilty right then.

"I… didn't mean to… I'm sorry," I told him. Ness's mouth curved down, while taking the notebook into his hands and rested it against his abdominal area.

"… Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to fly. That was one of my biggest dreams. Back then, I really believed anything was possible, and at a certain degree I still do. So if you were wondering about why there are so many bird like people in my notebook… that's why," He explained to me all the sudden.

"The Flying Man? I see…" I replied. There was a pause. Ness started to sound a tad nervous when he started to talk again. _Apparently there's something in there he really doesn't want me to see_... I thought, though I probably already knew what it was in the back of my mind.

"Yeah… he was a superhero that my childhood friends and I made up together… that's all…" Ness said. I nodded silently; I wasn't sure what to say back. This awkward silence was starting to make us nervous, especially Ness. His hands started to shake.

"Umm…"

"Hmm?"

"… I mean… was there any silly dream you wanted to chase when you were little?" Ness asked me shyly. I felt bad for making him react like this, but at the same time it was kind of... I smiled at him to let him know that things would be alright.

"Probably… I know for a fact that I had always dreamed for the day to get out of my boarding school life, though that dream already came true," I replied. Ness nodded.

"Really? Was that all you wanted?" He asked. I fumbled a bit with this one; it probably wasn't, but I didn't have any out of the ordinary dreams like he did… at least I hoped I didn't.

"Well… I know it's not a childhood dream anymore… but I've always wanted to prove something to the world… if I could. I still do…"

"Like what?" Ness asked. I sighed out of my nose, and leaned forward in my seat a bit.

"Gah… I dunno. Something useful, I guess…" On the corner of my eye, I could tell that Ness was somewhat disappointed with my reply. This reminded me of what Venus had told me a while back… to give him the slightest of chance to let him into my wings a bit.

"I understand… if it's something personal," Ness said.

"Oh no… it's okay Ness, really. I'm just not too sure myself is all…"

"Oh…"

"Cummon Ness… do you really think I'd hide something from you now? Especially now, that you're one of the only people in the entire world who knows my childhood secret?" I asked, referring back to my mother's death. Ness shook his head sheepishly.

"I guess not…" The real answer might have been yes, but we both wished, and possibly pretended that it was no.

"Remember… or did you notice back in Moonside how yes was no and no was yes?" I asked. Ness grunted in approval.

"Oh yeah… I remember that. I wonder why… probably just our minds tricking us," Ness guessed. "But even so…" Ness pulled out the black pendant we found there. "I still have this though…" We were a little skeptical at first.

"It was probably hiding in the backroom and we probably picked it up while our consciousness was in Moonside," I replied. Ness sighed.

"Probably…" Ness sighed. By this time, Ness became more withdrawn than ever.

"Care to talk? Something's bothering you…" I said looking at him. Ness froze for the slightest when he looked back at me; eye to eye. I wasn't sure how long we stayed like this, because once we awkwardly looked away, something flopped in my stomach.

"It's just… Paula… mom… us. I just worry too much, that's all," He explained. I nodded.

"I can understand that."

"I just haven't heard of Paula in my dreams so far, so I get a little worried time to time… I hope she's alright." I sighed.

"Me too Ness... me too..." I replied, thinking of Paula's fair smiling innocent face.

"... I want to call mom... but I'm too scared to at the moment. Partly because I don't want anyone hacking into our line... but mostly because I don't want her to hear me like this..." He spoke weakly leaning against the bus window. I frowned sentimentally and sighed.

"Same... even though I barely know my own father... nonetheless barely care for him, I couldn't let him hear me like this either," I replied. It seemed a bit quiet between us for the time being. I drifted off a bit in the long pause.

Brining my eyes towards the front of the bus, I could tell that we were now finally approaching the flatter area of the desert and the morning sunlight started to glow through the window and reflect off of Ness's seemingly flawless skin...

_Flawless? When did I start thinking that his skin was flawless?_ Ness's eyes were closed again, cept this time he looked more tense than usual. I assumed that he wasn't sleeping yet.

"...Ness? Are you still asleep?" I asked. Ness sighed through his nose but kept his eyes closed.

"No... not really..." He replied. I exhaled a small grunt and nodded.

"Why did you want to know?" Ness asked opening his eyes and stretching his arms out.

"I dunno... just wondering I guess." Ness yawned while adjusting himself to properly sit in his chair. Though while he did, the entire bus jolted us forward; both of us grunting in surprise. My face hit the back of the seat in front of us; making my glasses partly fell out of line.

"Go on, get out of the road!" We heard the bus driver say as he honked the bus horn. Ness and I sat back up in our seats as the bus made way again. My hands reached for my glasses until I felt them slip away from me. My eyes snapped open.

"Ness?" I asked dumbfounded temporarily as he must have taken my glasses away from me. Ness responded by humming to himself as I could see a blob on the corner of my eye put something on around his head.

"Are you...?"

"Woah... Jeff, your vision sucks..." I blushed slightly as he chuckled to himself.

"I... I know..." I mumbled unhappily. I could barely see Ness at where I was sitting, so I decided to scoot a little closer to him until he was more clear and defined. The way he had my glasses on was both wrong and silly at the same time. But for some reason, they suited him, especially when he smiled.

"You look nice in them actually," I replied smiling slightly. Ness sounded confused.

"How can you tell? You can't really see me clearly, can you?" Ness asked.

"Barely..." But how the sun reflected off of him, and my glasses; it was enough to stir butterflies, just slightly.

"...You know they're crooked on you, right?" I spoke softer than I intended at the time.

"Really?" Ness asked me as he reached his hands to his face. However, I halted them with my own, as I tried straightening them on his face to the best of my ability at the time. Bewildered, Ness hesitantly dropped his hands as I practically hovered around his face and my glasses, so I could get a good look. When my eyes met his, they were averted and he looked as if he was biting his lip. It was just the matter of aligning one of the bolts in the nose piece to make it sit comfortably on Ness's nose.

'You... you can have them back..." Ness barely mumbled. I 'hmmed' in response.

"You sure?" I asked stupidly. Then I chuckled shamefacedly. "You look good in them." Ness entire facial expression withdrew, as he wiggled his nose.

"Well... they're _your_ glasses... I can only assume you want to see again... nonetheless _I_ want to see again too," Ness responded looking to his side, avoiding my gaze. It finally clicked as to how close I really was to him, which furthermore made me back off a bit.

"Yeah... thank you," I told him, as I claimed my glasses from his face, and slipped them on passed my ears. I blinked a couple of times with the transaction.

"Jeff?" Ness asked somewhat quietly.

"Yeah?"

"... Never mind..." He replied. I sighed.

"Just say it..."

"No... it's just something small and stupid..."

"_Just_ say it, Ness."

"Uhhh..."

"..." I looked at him now, because maybe just by looking at him I could find out. His fists were balled up slightly, eyes looking down but unfocused at the same time. He seemed to avoid my gaze even more now. Was this the same question he was meaning to ask me back in the hostel?

"What... what do you think of me?" Ness asked under a mutter. My mouth slightly opened, but nothing came out until I found my words. What exactly did he mean by that?

"What do you mean...?"

"... Just what do you think of me? That's all..." He said. This was probably why he tried avoiding the question, because he probably predicted that I'd react the way I was then.

"I... I don't hate you," I replied. "It's nothing like that, if that's what you feared," I told him. By this time, Ness's shoulders seemed to relax a bit more.

"Well that's good..." Ness sighed. It was around this time that my incident with Demetri started to click again. But for some strange reason, I couldn't bring myself to talk about it. Instead, I decided to keep things simple.

"Nah Ness... you're my friend, remember? You and Paula are both my friends, and not much will change that... I hope. Besides, if I could tell you anything about my past, then that should mean something to you... though it probably doesn't..." I sighed as I felt my mind wander again; leaning forward as I rest my chin in my hands.

"It does mean something to me..." My eyebrows perked up, as I sat up again to get a good look at him. This time, he did dare to look at me in the eye, but like always it was sort of hard to read what he was thinking. And for some reason, his eyes seemed darker; deeper then yet they were empty. I sighed, breaking our sight from each other.

"Well then... I guess I should ask the same thing then... what's your opinion on me now that we know each other more?" I asked him. Ness was silent for a bit.

"Do you want me to be honest?" He asked. I didn't like how he asked the question.

"Yes... please," I replied, bracing myself for some bad news.

"Well to be honest... I'm not really sure... I'm your friend of course, but other than that..." Ness said. My eyebrows furrowed. What did that mean? But I guessed if he wasn't sure than I'd never be sure.

"It's okay to fee lost at times... we all are," I said. Ness turned his head towards the window again, where the morning sun lit up the horizon in a golden hue.

"If I ever find out more... I'll tell you as soon as possible... how does that sound?" Ness asked me. I nodded in agreement.

"That's fine," I replied. And there was that expected period of silence between us. It was always like this ever since Paula disappeared from us. It was almost impossible to carry on a conversation with just the two of us... not like this at least.

"... How much of my notebook did you look through?" Ness asked. My eyes widened slightly, as if he had caught me doing something sneaky and wrong. I felt wordless.

"I..." Ness sighed and looked at me. The way he did so this time was different, and he didn't fray, like I was.

"I'm sorry... I got up to the page where... there was a house... and you and someone were holding hands..." I replied, almost mutely. On the corner of my eye, I could tell that Ness's wide eyed expression was a mixture of surprise and disappointment.

"Why did you want to know?" This was a stupid question I admitted to myself, but I thought, maybe if I could reason with him without getting into an argument; we'd be better off.

"Well... why did you snoop through my stuff anyways?" He said.

"Look, it was on your lap and I..." I stopped in mid sentence, realizing how dense I really was acting. Ness frowned.

"Look... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have looked through it without your permission," I said. Ness bit the bottom of his lip again; I knew I shouldn't have done so judging by his expression.

"You're probably wondering about that page... and the answer is yes," He said, turning his head back towards the window. Was he talking about...?

"... I see," I said. There was a small pause.

"He's right though... Pokey... we were once friends... really good ones to put it at that," He told me. There was a strange hitch in his voice as he spoke which made me the ever more curious. And remembering my conversation only fueled my curiosity even more.

"May I ask what happened between the two of you?" I asked. I should have known, but I was still surprised with what he replied with.

"To be honest... no, it's not alright to me, not right now at least," He said. I sighed.

"I'm sorry then."

"No... don't be; you had the right to ask me. You saw him, so I can only assume that you'd like to know more." I nodded in response, but I kept silent.

"Pokey?" I said in a questionable tone.

"... Some of my best memories were with him. Some that even now... I wouldn't trade for the world. It's this kind of feeling... that makes me _cringe_ whenever I see him now..." The way he said the word _cringe_ made my heart constrict for some reason. Just what exactly did he do to him?

"I don't remember a single time I cried... while we were friends..." He said.

"Yeah... I remember him telling me that you weren't the type to cry..." Right when I finished my sentence, I realized; that I had made a huge; almost fatal mistake. My eyes widened slightly as I looked at him. His eyebrows were perked up and eyes open; I knew what I just said would linger in his mind for a while.

"Wha... and _when_ did he tell you this?" Ness suddenly questioned me. Now I really was at loss with words. What was I to say now that I revealed my secret of going out to talk to Pokey on my own time? A huge; almost humiliating guilt washed over me right then.

"_Jeff... please say you didn't..."_ Ness almost begged me. However, I couldn't hide any longer... I just couldn't.

"... I did... while you were in the hospital..." I lowered my head in shame. Ness exhaled a small gasp. I gulped.

"Well... He even said; he wanted to talk to us. And after finding out a few things, I suspected him... when I got kicked out of your room, that's when I decided to go see him. Though sometimes, I wish I didn't..." When my eyes drifted back to Ness, he looked as if he wanted to cry. I didn't blame him.

"And that's why you didn't come back in a while, right... that's the reason you left me all alone in that _god damn_ hospital bed? Just so you could negotiate with my old friend... _Jeff why..._ or at least, why didn't you tell me?" His voice started to rise.

"Don't worry... he didn't tell me anything about your childhood-"

"My _childhood?_ Then what _did_ he tell you?! Did he say anything about where _Paula_ might have gone to?! We both know that he has her, so _why didn't you go search for her instead?!_ I flinched from his spurt of anger.

"I... I figured that I'd need you to tag along too..." My guilt hit me full blast when I saw a tear trickle down his cheek.

"_Jeff..._" He feared what I was to know between the two of them.

"I did get some lead way though Ness... Paula is definitely in that building..."

_"Then we have to go back! We have to go back now, and find her!!"_ He shouted. This was when I furrowed my eyebrows.

"And what good is that going to do? We don't have access up there, but if we find this item, we can get back up there and help-"

"_Jeff__,__ are you __**that**__ dense in the fucking head?!_" He practically spat. The fact that he called me dense ticked me off to no end. _I'm _dense?

"What the hell do-"

"_Because of the fact that you actually confronted Pokey in person, makes Paula's state in more critical condition! He __**knows**__ now that we're on to him! And if he told Monotoli... what... what if Monotoli got to her first... she might be..._" He yelled, voice quieting towards the end of his phrase. My eyes widened in horror, remembering a part of our conversation about death. It was around this time that we were interrupted.

"I'm sorry back there... if you two are going to fight the way you two are, I'm going to have to ask you to abort the bus," The bus driver told us over the mike as he opened the bus door.

"_No, please, don't kick us off, please..._" Ness begged. However, the bus driver's expression was passive as he awaited us to leave. Ness growled in anger; it was the first time I actually feared Ness in a sense. We silently gathered our things, and departed the bus; the people along the way gave us weird glances as we made our way to the front.

"Keep walking along the road, and there will be another bus stop along the way. You can wait for another bus there when you feel ready to take on some of the bus rules," he told us before closing the doors on us and driving back. My heart started to pound slightly. Ness held his forehead.

"I... I'm so sorry..." However, Ness ignored it and walked passed me.

"_Let's just go_..." he said.

---

I didn't think I had ever seen Ness this furious before and I didn't blame him one bit. The fact that he dropped the topic all together was both unexpected and understandable. He didn't trust me enough to let me into his personal life, like I apparently did. And for that, I felt like a cheated fool that had spilled out his own secret while gaining nothing back. Instead of ruining it even further, I thought of different ways and different things to talk about to him. But most of my efforts had been for the nil.

The more the sun steadily rose, the hotter it got which made the situation worse; nonetheless, it exhausted us both. I started to see mirages; for instance, I saw three men in ponchos and sombreros...

... Then when we progressed closer, I realized, it really wasn't a mirage. Ness and I stood by what looked like a broken slot machine; practically in the middle of nowhere by the road. The three men were sitting on rocks, drinking what looked like lemonade.

"What... is this?" Ness said out loud as he took a look at the sign that was there that read, "The Friendly Sanchez brothers: Here to serve you in place for this broken slot machine. Insert a buck to play." Ness took a buck out while sighing, stuck it into the machine and walked away without a second thought. I frowned, glancing back at the Sanchez brothers, who looked disappointed that we were leaving them alone in this heat.

---

It took about forty five minutes to finally get to the hut on the other side of the desert. I felt a sense of relief when Ness purchased two wet towels.

"An oasis?" The lady at the counter said.

"Yeah... we're trying to find an oasis; have you heard of it?" Ness asked. The lady 'hmmed' to herself.

"There is, but it's further east to tell you the truth..." Ness slouched his head and growled.

"You can't be serious..." Ness muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me sir, why exactly are you trying to find this oasis in the first place?" Ness's mouth curved down slightly. I decided to butt into the conversation.

"Or a cave... we're trying to find a certain cave..." I asked. The lady 'hmmed' to herself as she thought. My eyes trailed off throughout the store for any sort of lead way.

"Well there is this one cave that's not too far from here, but you'll have to go a little ways out in the desert to get to it," She said pointing behind her towards the window behind her and the counter. Ness let off a hefty sigh.

"Alright... thank-" It was then that we both heard and felt something crash into the hut with a thud.

"What was that?" The lady exclaimed. "Something must have crashed into the side of the shop..." Ness and I took a moment before walking outside to check what had happened.

---

On the side of the small building was a black spot on the wall and a monkey laying down on the ground; a bump started to form on its head. Both of us winced.

"Is that the same monkey we saw back in Fourside before?" Ness asked as I examined the scene.

"It... it has to be, since what other monkey could do... that?" I said kneeling down by the monkey as it tried opening its eyes. The lady from the counter had walked outside.

"Gah another one? Where are all these monkeys coming from anyways?" She sighed. "Is the poor darling alright at least?" She asked us. I glanced from the lady to Ness who was now studying the monkey's face. Ness knelt down to press a hand to the monkey's forehead until the monkey was able to open its eyes and squeak slightly. When Ness took his hand away, the monkey started to shake its head and stir. In moments the monkey was well enough to stand up and pick and lick at its fur. The lady 'oooed'

"Magic fingers you got there, eh?" She laughed, lightly slapping Ness on the shoulder. I could tell by the look in his expression that his smile was fake while at first I could have sworn that he winced.

"Yeah... I guess so," Ness said rubbing the back of his sweaty neck. I lightly frowned.

"Well you kids take care and be careful in a big hot place such as this... _whew, it is __**hot**__ out here!_" She said waving her forehead with her hand.

"Thank you..." Ness said more to himself. Both of our faces cringed slightly when we looked at the monkey when it decided to pick up a random beetle and eat it, then in return spit it right out. Though in closer examination at the contents, it didn't even look like a bug, but instead a small black...

"Hey... if you see my girlfriend, the white sesame seed, please tell her that I still love her..." It was this odd ball out of the box moment that made the monkey pick up the black seed and tossed it somewhere near by randomly. Ness shook his head while my mind was still questioning the moment. Then the monkey waved and pointed randomly; I didn't really understand it.

"You want us to follow you?" Ness asked the monkey. Surprisingly, it nodded and frolicked along the hot desert dirt. Ness walked passed me as I followed next to him. We followed the monkey for about ten minutes it seemed. Eventually, the monkey danced around what looked like a grotto, or a worn down well that hadn't been used in years that was in the ground before climbing down the ladder. Ness and I looked down the dark tunnel.

"This is it?" I asked. Ness sighed.

"Let's just go..." Ness said, almost irritatingly. I frowned as he climbed down first as I rolled my eyes and followed. I just hoped that there were no stinky puke blobs.

---

The cave smelt of must and it was a whole twenty degrees cooler than on the surface. There was what looked like oriental lamps that were elegantly hung at the top corners of the ceiling to dimly light up our way. When we walked into the next section there were a few monkeys running around. My jaw dropped; I had never seen this many monkeys before in my life. I wondered if any one of them could blow helium bubbles to make them float in mid air...

"Crud, I lost that teleporting monkey..." Ness said scanning the tunnel that branched off into two different directions.

"I guess we'll have to scout this place... what did we come here for anyways?" I asked. Ness sighed with slight annoyance. I started to get sick of his snappy behavior.

"Well one, we're supposed to find their quote 'leader' because he apparently wants to speak to me, then we gotta find that damn yogurt machine on the way back to Fourside if we can..." We were both interrupted by a monkey that was rubbing its tummy.

"You're hungry? I think I have a sandwich somewhere in here..." Ness said digging through his bag to pull out a PB and J sandwich. The monkey practically snatched the food from his hands and ran off with it. Ness sighed and started walking down the path he chose.

"Come on Jeff... let's get this over with... the sooner we can get out of here, the better. I rolled my eyes. _This is going to be a pain..._ I thought to myself.

---

So far, the tunnel was winding, confusing and bothersome all at once. Communicating was one thing with the monkeys but the communication between the two of us was almost always muted, if not somewhat bitter. The multiple oriental decorated boxes throughout the caves were either open, or filled with random food that was surprisingly fresh. but every time we picked them up, there were always monkeys around us snatching them right out of our hands. One time, I found a pretty decent ruler that I planned to use for my future projects, but it was soon taken away by a monkey with a pink bow. I growled to myself.

"You snooze, you lose..." Ness sighed packing what looked like a hamburger away in his bag before any monkeys could claim it. I finally snapped back.

"Dude, lighten up, will you? I'm not the only one that's been _losing_ in this hell hole," I replied. Ness's jaw dropped just slightly. He huffed and crossed his arms.

"Yeah... well... says you!" He replied sticking his nose in the air and walking off to another nearby box. I clenched my jaw slightly.

"_Look_, I'm sorry about before alright? I won't do anything reckless such as that again if you don't want me to, so can we just drop it and make up again?" I asked. Ness reached into the box to pull out what looked like a bottle of beer.

"Oh? So you won't do anything reckless if I _tell_ you not to be reckless?" Ness asked me.

"Yeah, exactly," I replied. Ness snorted.

"You can start by _shutting up;_ this argument could start to become reckless after all," He replied. My jaw dropped as I narrowed my eyes.

"Damn it Ness, we both promised not to fight for Paula, remember?" I said. Ness took a moment to examine me.

"Paula _isn't here._ In fact, she may be even _farther_ than we expect because of _you _going behind _my back _to talk to my old childhood friend, who I might quote, isn't very _'friendly'_ anymore if I might add. So you can just kiss that little fucking rule on the ass _goodbye,"_ He replied raising his voice.

"Is that some sort of threat? You know what? At least I actually found some things out by talking to him; unlike you before so, when all you did was throw hot air at him!" I said.

_"And what did he tell you? _ What did the so called _Master Pokey_ tell you? Did he _really_ have the means to tell you about Paula, or the spook? Did you find out more about his younger brother? Father? Demetri? _Monotoli?_ Or... did he tell you all about those _damn times _when we used to scribble retarded pictures and comics of bird men in a notebook and call it a dandy day? _Did he ever tell you-"_

_"__**I know that he did something horrible to you, alright?!**_" It was about time when I just couldn't hold it in any longer. Though judging his horrific expression, I knew how reckless I could really be. It felt just like our moment back in Master Belch's lair, me silently glaring while Ness looked as if he wanted to cry. Ness balled up his fists, but held them back, I assumed for Paula's sake after all. His bottom lip started to tremble, and he dropped his head in shame. He started to silently cry. _I couldn't believe this..._ I thought. My expression changed from anger to worry and sympathy, as my jaw weakened enough to make my words sound like gibberish.

_"Ness... I..."_ Ness rubbed his eyes again. _I hated seeing people cry..._ Ness didn't utter another word as he started to walk away. So what was I to do, but follow behind him? We barely spoke to each other throughout the entire cave...

---

It took about another miserable hour, searching, getting lost and running into more needy monkeys. The most communication between Ness and I was when we walked into a dead end that had another decorative box. When we opened it, there was a small, red silk bag with golden thread embroidery that formed the picture of an Asian dragon, wrapped around the bag. The draw string that kept the pouch closed had a tag on it that read 'Dragonite.' Ness examined it for a second until he tried handing it to me.

"But... are you sure?" Ness made no sound however and kept holding the bag out to me. I eventually claimed it into my hand while Ness brushed passed me. I sighed while slipping the bag into my strap bag and followed.

It took a few more items, monkeys and caves until we reached a bigger, more in depth section of the cave, one that had what looked like the iron pencil statue I had seen up in Winters when I was on my way down to the lab. I was surprised, when Ness finally spoke, in a low rugged voice.

"Is this it?" Ness asked almost silently out of the blue as we approached the pencil shaped statue.

"It has to be…we've searched this place for what seemed like hours," I replied. Ness took a moment at examining my exhausted appearance then the statue.

"And if that yogurt machine is here… it makes me wonder how that idiot lost it in the first place… Lemme see the pencil eraser, Jeff," Ness said holding out his hand. Digging through my bag to find it, handing it over, Ness started working the strange eraser over the pencil until it started to crack. Then with a crumble, the once iron pencil statue fell to the ground in pieces.

"How the hell did that Apple Kid make such an oddball, yet helpful invention anyways?" I asked. Ness shrugged off the question as he started to walk deeper into the cave. I shook my head slightly. I didn't think he would ever forgive me, at least not anytime soon to say the least.

The tunnel we went down seemed longer than all the rest, but we knew why when we finally got to its end. Running water springs and multiple holes in the ceiling made the room a glow. A monkey; I assumed, the same one that was able to teleport, spotted us as it motioned us to emerge closer. Around a few boulders, there were two more presentable boxes. As the monkey allowed us to open them, there was what looked like a sealed 'Brain Food Lunch' in one box while the other had a cup of lifenoodles. Ness took the brain food lunch while I took the cup of life noodles.

When we made it to what looked like a clear pond, Ness and I gawked at the man in robes, practically meditating in the air over head. His hat and robe was elegantly woven in colors of greens, lavenders and gold. The multiple beads that hung from his hat, robe and some of his facial hair twinkled in the afternoon sun that shown through the ceiling. His legs were crossed while his hands were pressed together in chant and prayer. While his narrow eyes were closed, I wasn't sure how long we were there just staring at him. However, both of us nearly jumped as we heard an anonymous voice speak out, while the man floating had no moving lips.

"I've been waiting for you two, especially you, Ness…" The voice spoke to us. Ness looked baffled, but I must have as well.

"Wha... who's speaking to us?" Ness asked.

"... My name is Talah Rama, but that is not important. I have been waiting for you to arrive, ever since the existence of a boy names Ness." The voice replied. Ness pointed at himself dimly.

"The existence... of _me?_ I... I'm not that great of a person... tell the truth..." Ness replied. There was a pause.

"The truth of space and time moves though the universe like a wave... Truth speaks through space and matter and makes itself known to human beings and creatures alike. _This is definite truth... that I'd be waiting for you ever since your existence..."_ Talah Rama explained like a poet. "_Because this was pre-determined... it was destined from the start..."_ We were both fumbled by his words. I for one was not a person that believed in destiny... but for Ness's sake, my belief was starting to bite me in the back.

"But..."

"Ness... Paula... Jeff... and _Poo..._ when the four pair of eyes gather to see evil, twisted space will bring back peace to the world. Do you understand?" Ness for once looked at me, his eyes; one of the pair of eyes of this so called destiny was dull, tired... and weak from what I could tell..."

"It doesn't matter now... you'll know what to do in due time… just push forward with all of the strength and determination that you wield and I'm sure your friends will be there to give you the extra boost you'll need as well. Now… I have a special skill to teach you that I'm sure will be useful to you. Though technically, you'll be learning it from the monkey over there. And before you go, take that yogurt machine over there… I believe you'll be needing that." I looked over to the machine which must have still been in its box. Ness picked it up in his hands, stuffed it in his bag and slipped it on.

"It's so heavy… how will we get it across the desert?" Ness thought out loud with a huff.

"Will you be learning PSI Teleportation or not?" The voice asked.

"PSI… Teleport?" Ness asked back.

"Indeed. Conquer it and you'll travel anywhere you'd like that you have been to in almost no time at all. So… will a young, determined boy like yourself be learning this ability?" It took a moment, but Ness replied with a grin.

"Let's do this," Ness said. "Come on Jeff, let's get out of here so we can get back to Fourside as fast as we can," Ness smiled for the first time all day. I nodded, almost un-opinionated as I tagged along mutely. And with that, we followed the same monkey outside of the cave. I just wondered how this was going to work, but I guessed from what I had seen at the time from their abilities, it was to be expected.

… I still hoped that this would work…

---

When we stepped outside in the late afternoon sun, I shielded my eyes as we walked along the hot desert sand and shrubs. Ness fell back to being quiet about the whole thing. We eventually made it out to the main road that split the desert in half. The monkey did motions in attempt to communicate with us. I was starting to get sick of all these monkeys, and me not being able to understand any of them clearly. I watched as Ness's somewhat skeptical face studied the monkey in attempt to understand him.

"O… kay… Could you demonstrate please?" Ness asked almost nervously. The Monkey nodded in agreement and walked out in the street, stood and focused. It took about thirty seconds as we waited and watched. Soon enough however, the monkey started to pace, faster and faster with each step until he was off like a lightning bolt and he disappeared from our sight. Ness and I were mesmerized as we tried looking in the distance for him. Ness's fingers started fidgeting.

"Jeff… I'm not sure if I'm ready to learn this or not…" Ness told me with an undetermined voice. My mouth curved down slightly.

"If it means that we'll get to Paula faster then I can't back down from it." Ness paused for a little bit.

"...Besides... maybe a part of my childhood dream will come true to me after all... just in a way I didn't imagine." I wanted to smile to him, but the dilemma before wouldn't let me. It was then that we were interrupted by the monkey that happened to be behind us by surprise. Ness and I exchanged glances.

"O...kay, I guess it's my turn now..." Ness looked jittery and shaken to learn this new technique, and when he walked out into the street and stood there, he balled up his fists and bit his now swollen looking lip. Nonetheless, he looked unfocused and nervous.

"I... I don't know..." Ness said shaking his head. The monkey walked out to do another demo, but even that didn't seem to help. In fact, it looked as if it had made Ness even more timid to get started. So we waited a couple more minutes. When Ness took his first step, he was tentative as he slowed to a halt again. It made me remember how he told me that he was afraid to us his PSI... that he was frightened of it. It was still a bit of a mystery to me _why_ though... Nonetheless, he was having a tough time overcoming this unknown fear. Wasn't the ability to fly one of his dreams? It was ultimately confusing. So I finally sighed.

"Ness... " I finally said, trying to not make my voice sound impatient. However, Ness didn't seem to take note. So I went with another tactic and walked out into the street with him. Ness looked bewildered and ultimately stressed as he saw me approaching him.

"_Why are you coming out here_?!" Ness asked me suddenly. I tried staying calm myself.

"Ness... I know from what you said that some of this power frightens you... and if you want to think about it, it's fine, just... let's not think about it for too long in the middle of the street," I told him.

"We need to get to Fourside though... I need to learn this... it's just..."

"Well... the more you delay, the longer it'll take for us to get there," I replied. Ness nodded, averting his eyes to the ground. The afternoon sun beat down on us both as we stood there.

"You have to come with me you know..." Ness looked at me with what looked to be guilt mixed with timidness. I didn't like admitting to myself that this helplessness that he was feeling made his eyes look nice as they glistened in the sun. I nodded slowly. Ness looked like he was attempting to hold out his hand but at the same time held it back.

"Can you... I..." I sighed and took my own hand out to grasp his. He seemed to shiver when we made contact and I could feel a sudden rush flow past my fingertips, which made my own eyes widen slightly.

"_Jeff..._"

"...I won't let go of you... don't worry..." It was awkward for me to hold anyone's hand except for Tony's, but this time, I could definitely feel the butterflies for some reason, rushing to my chest. It was especially strange, considering what had just happened between us back down in the caves. Ness looked up to me for a second until he nodded. Did our contact make him nervous as well, or did it comfort him that I was still on his side?

"_You can do this... I know you can_," I told Ness softly. Ness's exhale was heavy and shaken while he gripped my hand tightly.

"Please keep your promise to me... please," Ness mumbled. In a few moments, we started to walk together hand in hand. It was a strange sensation as we started moving faster than our feet and I ended up literally clinging to his hand for dear life as the road and the atmosphere around us came rushing at our faces until it was all a blur.

... And for a split moment, I really felt as if I was soaring in the sky; the boy next to me looking graceful as we flew...

---

All of the sudden, we were surrounded by the tall sky scrapers and tall lush green trees of Fourside. Our landing was a bit rushed as we started to slow to a jog in the park. When we stopped, we stood there softly, examining the sun lit city.

"You... Fourside... you did it..." I told him as I was still dim in the head. We were too slow for anything to fully register in our brains right then.

"I... don't know how you did it... but you did..." I said. Ness exhaled again and grunted slightly. Though we didn't notice it at the time, our hands were still clasped together.

"Do you still have the gourmet yogurt machine with you?" I asked Ness. Ness nodded.

"Yeah, I do..." Ness said blankly.

"Okay good, maybe if we hurry, we can get Paula and get the heck out of here once and for all," I told him as I started walking. However, Ness's hand and body weight jolted me backwards. I turned swiftly back to him.

"Ness come on... Ness?" I felt as if I should have been sympathetic because he looked more lost than ever.

"Jeff... I'm... scared..." Ness managed to utter. My eyes widened a bit. I tried loosening our grip but he still clung.

"I'm scared of what might happen... What if she's not okay? What if Monotoli is willing to hurt us... and... what if...." I sighed.

"Ness..." Ness rubbed at his eyes; a definite sign I did not want to see again. It didn't hit me until then, how serious things really were starting to become. What if someone wound up badly hurt... possibly killed? I wanted to avoid similar results from the department store as much as possible. And what if my encounter with Pokey the other day really did make things worse on our side?

"Ness, please listen to me, please. I'm... I'm so sorry that this had to happen. I'm sorry that I went and spoke to him on my own time; I'm sorry you miss your mother and your family... I feel as if part of this whole ordeal is my fault alone. But now... we're all that we have and we both need to face this task together to our best ability. I know I'm not as encouraging as your mother I assume... but let's get Paula back together... okay?" I told him. Ness stared off into the distance mindlessly and nodded again.

"You're right... let's get her back... safe and sound" Ness said. I couldn't help but smile just slightly.

"Let's get going then..." I said as we were off.

"Umm... Jeff?" He asked.

"Hmmm?"

"... You can let go of my hand now..." He said almost mutely. My eyes snapped open in realization as I immediately broke contact; noticing a mother with a toddler passing us by.

"Sorry..." I told him. Finally, Ness shook his head no.

"Please, don't say sorry ever again today..." I looked back at Ness, who was now finally smiling hesitantly. I felt myself blush, ever so slightly. I rubbed the back of my neck drifting my eyes from his smile.

"Right... yeah..."

---

On our way to the Monotoli building, we silently admired the scenery a bit, though we knew how unwelcoming it was to us. But we couldn't help it, even now. When we passed Jackie's Cafe, I felt a small chill down my spine as I remembered some of the things from Moonside.

"What do you think happened to Everdread?" Ness asked me. I shrugged.

"Not sure myself to be honest. I barely knew the man..." I replied until Ness seemed to halt as we pass the central park.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Jeff... isn't that the Runaway Five over there?" Ness pointed them out as they were all gathered around a tree, messing with some of their instruments. It seemed as if one of them has noticed us and waved at us. Ness waved with both of his hands overhead.

"Hey!" Ness said with a raised voice. It was at the is precise moment that Ness seemed to glance to his right until he; out of nowhere, collapsed to the ground; but was caught by someone's strong arm. I turned swiftly, eyes wide and angry and nostrils a flare as I saw what looked like a police officer with a needle. He must have given him a dose of something strong enough to knock him out. I couldn't stop my rage.

"_What the hell are you doing to hi-"_ Someone behind me grasped me tightly while he pricked my skin.

"_What... __**no...**_" My mind went hazy along with my sight until I was once more blacked out in unconsciousness...


	16. The Truth Behind The Grin

A/N: Thanks to Sashie, Pure-White-Angel22, quertyuiop1671, SnowTornado and Red for reviewing chapter 15. I also want to thank in particular (LOL) DreamingInferno (alstromeria) for actually re reading and reviewing every single chapter of my fic. I knew you warned me ahead of time but wow you really meant it! XD I don't think my fic is a great as it could be, just because of some of the errors, but still thank you very much! xDDD And yeah! xD

This chapter was something I have been meaning to write for a while, because of how it ends. If this fic was going on the routine that Mother 3 went through, I'd say that this chapter is the small 'conclusion' to the last 15, or the entire fic so far, which means next chapter would start the second saga. Lawl I dunno xD

But anyways, I should stop rambling and let you enjoy this ficy! Which I hope you guys do by the way x3 Thank you all for reading this fic to where it is so far! x3

XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

_Picture day was always a dread for me. It was even more of a dread when it was for new I.D. pictures to keep up to date with our appearances. My hair was always sloppy; I would have to adjust my glasses, even while they take the picture. I was also seemingly tired through all of them which made about half of my photos look like I'm falling asleep. But perhaps the biggest reason why I hated picture day, the main reason that I would always try to find any way to avoid them was because my identity was always brought up again. _

_ Nonetheless, I always hated the looks that the camera men gave me; skeptical eyes, greedy grins as they snickered at me to walk up to the stand._

_"Smile for your father," One of them said to me. That was the photo I frowned in the most._

_---_

Ness and I sat together in a long line, handcuffed and still drowsy from anesthesia. Neither of us could speak, or had the brain power to think then, but there was a definite doom that lingered under our noses. We watched over time as we slowly emerged to the front of the line as a door at the end of the hall would open up and blind us temporarily, only to claim whoever was at the front into its blinding embrace.

Eventually, Ness was the next to go and I could remember him looking down at me with scared, weak irises as he was dragged into the light and I was stuck in that dark hallway. I ran my fingers through my hair as best as I could. It was this scary, lonesome feeling that kept me awake. _Just what happened and what is happening to us?_

_---_

_Tony's first photo in first grade was the photo I could always remember. Contrasting from his photo from kindergarten, this picture showed his wide, toothy grin and he was always proud to show it off, especially to me at the time._

_"Look Jeff, I'm smiling!" He giggled as he smiled at himself, which only brought a smile to me in return._

_"You deserve to smile Tony, everyone does," I told him. It was then that Tony studied my face._

_"When was the last time you smiled like this?" Tony asked me instantly with curiosity. I fumbled a bit with the question, because I wasn't sure how to put it in words._

_"The last time I really smiled... was when I was at the beach with my family..." I replied._

_---_

Soon enough, the door opened itself to me. The silhouetted man in the doorframe snickered when he spotted me.

"_Come on in you little devious scientist..."_ He chuckled as I was dragged into the blinding light. I shielded my eyes when I was in a decently big room. The man told me to stand in front of a certain wall that had height measurements while handing me a sign with a random big number. Each photo flash made me flinch and it didn't help me wake up either. I could hear the evil laughter from afar in a nearby control room.

_"Wait till the doc hears about his son causing mischief away from home..."_ That was the last thing I heard before someone escorted me out of the room.

---

_"Was that really the last time you smiled?" Tony asked me. It took me a moment, but I nodded. I just knew that Tony would be disappointed with my answer._

_"I've never been as happy since..." I told him._

_"May I see your photo?" Tony asked. I wasn't sure what the right thing to do at the time, but it only made me remember my first time in the photo booth even more._

_---_

_"Smile for the camera!" The man said as he tried cheering me up with a silly looking puppet. No matter how much he attempted, my expression was mute and I looked like I had seen just about every sad movie in existence. The camera man eventually sighed in defeat._

_"Come on young man, isn't there anything that can bring a smile to your face?" He asked seriously, dropping his hand puppet to the floor until it was lifeless again. For once I looked at him, but I didn't give him any clear answer, I just looked at him. I could tell in his eyes, he was becoming impatient. My eyes traveled to the lifeless puppet on the floor._

_"At least think of something that makes you happy so you can smile, just slightly?" He said. I slowly nodded and soon enough, he finally took the picture._

---

_"Come on, you can show your best buddy, can't you?" Tony asked me with puppy eyes. I sighed._

_"I'd rather not... not now, maybe later..." I told him as calmly as I could manage. I was both surprised and happy that Tony backed down._

_"Well alright... I'm going to go to the library now to check out a couple more books. Be back in a few!" He smiled and waved to me as he left our room finally. I sighed and got up. I wanted to remind myself, why didn't I want to show him my photo? I rummaged through my drawers, in the deepest darkest corners of my space, until I finally found it, hiding under the top half of my mattress. And then I looked, really looked... _

_... At the face of the young hopeless boy with real tears and a forced smile._

XxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 16 The Truth Behind the Grin_

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

_"Jeff... Jeff you're almost there, just a little further..."_

_**Paula?**_ Was I hearing Paula's voice...? Yet again, I was in a void of dark nothingness and I could feel every inch of it devouring me.

_"Where is there? Are you in the Monotoli building?! Paula, __**answer me!**_" I hollered as I scanned my sight wildly around me. It was to be expected, that I was all alone by the time I tried to find her.

"Paula? Now why are you trying to find Paula in a strange place like this?" I heard a familiar voice say behind me. Spinning around to see Demetri was expected to me, as he flashed his golden tooth; irises a flare of bright cherry red. I started to grit my teeth and lunged at him. But it was too late, for when I reached out to him, he disappeared with a chuckle.

_"Oh Jeff, I thought you were smarter than to get yourself wound up here. Looks like there's nothing else to do but die." _My eyes went wide as I heard another familiar voice behind me. When I spun around, to none of my surprise, I saw Pokey, standing in perfect posture while crossing his arms. For some reason, he looked different, and his face seemed pale. Nonetheless he still smirked but it was less noticeable.

"Why don't you ask yourself that? _Where are we anyways?"_ I demanded. Pokey shrugged casually.

"I'm not sure, why don't you ask the brilliant one over there," He said, gesturing his arm to point behind us. It was then that looked again, slowly, only to be shaken by what he meant by 'one.'

_It was that same gigantic thing that was at the ocean, where mom gazed eagerly out into the sea. _Except this time, it was Paula's face that was concealed in its giant orb, and she looked down at me mutely. Just what was this thing...? _Was it Giygas?_

_"What is this?!"_ I asked Pokey as I spun around.

_But instead of Pokey staring back at me... it was a strange humanoid creature, all silvery white with a tail and ears. Its eyes glared as I heard an ear shattering screech._

---

_"Gaaah!"_ I yelped slightly as I was suddenly conscious again, lying on what felt like a very uncomfortable bed while my glasses were partly on; partly hanging off my nose. I panted, bringing my hand to caress my forehead, like I always did whenever I had these strange dreams. _Just what was happening to me? That thing appeared twice, nonetheless..._

I tried clearing my mind as best as I could possibly manage. Now was the important time to ask what I asked in my dream; just where was I? I was apparently lying on a mattress, staring at a bunk above me, but that didn't mean we were back in the hostel, right? The bed was harder and sharp; the air reeked. I was no longer in Ness's black shirt, which we were apparently too lazy to change out of before. Instead, my shirt was an ugly light gray. Sitting up in surprise, I found myself in some sort of jail cell. The cold, hard stone floor and the claustrophobic walls were cracked and the metal bars made me feel trapped and alone. I started to think about how we ended up here, and those wanted signs posted all around the city. _What was to happen to us now?_ In fact, _were was Ness?_

I felt as if I would fall back onto my face when I stood up on my wiggly legs, but it was when I did stand up to look through the bars that I spotted him in the cell across from me, curled into a ball against the wall. There looked to be another man in the cell who had taken up the bottom mattress. One moment, Ness would be perfectly still, then the next he would shiver violently. I felt weak and I couldn't even grunt. It must have taken at least five minutes before I was able to udder any legible word from my lips.

_"Ness?"_ I spoke putting my hands on the rails. Ness was seemingly unresponsive as he still kept his face buried.

"Ness... please say something," I said again. Yet again, nothing, except this time he withdrew his knees closer to his chest. I let myself sit cross legged on the cold stone floor in front of the bars. Questions kept repeating in my head, the main one being; what was to happen.

"Ness..."

"..." Ness perked up slightly to look back at me with one eye that looked glossy. I was sick and tired to see him like this... I felt horrible physically, but most of all...

_Images of the strange dream repeated over in my mind once more. Mother at the ocean, her face looking down at me in taunting pity. _What was happening? My mind was out the window... but there was no sunlight around from what I could see. Ness had finally raised his head to examine me in confusion, because he wasn't the only one that felt helpless.

I started breaking down, feeling my bottom lip tremble and tears welling up in my eyes; I clenched my forehead in agony while trying to keep my beak down silent. Nonetheless, I choked on my silent sobs. Such a feeling I had awaited for ever since I had first taken my first step out of Winters. It was the first time that I actually missed Snow Wood Boarding School.

"_... Jeff?"_ Ness asked my quietly. I sniffed in response, running my fingers through my hair. _What was going to happen? Would we be killed? Would we be locked into prison for the rest of our lives? Would I be prosecuted for my mother's death?_

_"Jeff please... stop crying please..."_ Ness asked me but with a heavier voice as if tears were collecting in his eyes too. Soon enough I could hear him; breaking down along with me. It stayed like this for what felt like hours, but had to have been merely minutes. It felt as if all hope was lost.

_Was this really the end?_

...

"You two really are pathetic," We heard one's familiar voice say, though it took a moment for recognition. Both of us looked around, even in our own cells, trying to find the source. When I looked beyond my own bars again however, our source stood right there, grinning smugly down at the both of us.

"_Picky?!"_ Ness gawked at Picky who dangled around a ring of keys, in attempt to taunt us. Ness looked baffled nonetheless.

_"How did you..."_ I narrowed my eyes.

"Why do you know that we're here? Nonetheless, why are you here, waving those keys in front of our eyes?" I asked. Picky raised his visible eyebrow.

"I'm going to bust the two of you out of here, duh," He replied while smirking after wards. "Of course... _you gotta beg me first,"_ I dropped my jaw in protest. _I wasn't going to let some kid treat me like a dog begging for food, I thought!_ However, when I glanced at Ness again, expecting the same reaction, he was way ahead of me in a different direction.

_"Please Picky, __**please**__, let us __**out!**_" Ness practically bowed on all fours. "_Please... don't leave us here..."_ Taking control of the situation, Picky took full advantage.

"Yes, beg for mercy; now who's your _almighty savior_?" He spoke cockily. _Pfff_ I couldn't believe this...

_"... Picky..."_ Ness barely muttered.

"_Who?"_ Say it louder so everyone can hear." Ness sighed with a huff, half annoyed, half aggravated.

_"Picky, almighty one, save us!"_ He spoke louder. Picky chuckled with satisfaction as he took a key out to unlock Ness's door. I interrupted, almost without thinking.

"Wait a second. Now I want a clear answer, did you come here on your own accord, or did someone else send you here on purpose to release us?" I asked. Picky took a moment to ponder and smile.

"Paula sent me-"

_"__**Paula?!**__"_ We both exclaimed. Picky looked dumbstruck for a moment.

"That's right, Paula sent me here. I'm going to take you two up to where she is," He replied as he worked with Ness's lock.

"But what about Pokey and Monotoli?" I asked. Picky shrugged.

"What about them?" He replied.

_"Why are you doing this..." _I spoke in a serious tone. By that time, Ness had been set free.

"Look, do you want to get out of here or what?" Picky asked. I blew hot air out of my nose.

"Fine, so be it, let's go," I replied as he unlocked my door. We snuck out of the jail dungeon. I wasn't sure if Picky was being truthful of not, but I stood by Ness's motives as much as possible. Besides, we had to get to Paula as quick as possible. I hoped she was alright...

---

It was as if he ran the place, though I was sure that Monotoli was the real one behind the mask around here. Picky surprisingly had found our clothes and our belongings in a small nearby room; more like a closet than anything.

"I'll wait and keep lookout here so you two can change out of those ridiculous clothes," Picky said as he closed the door behind us. The room was very small and crammed; Ness and I barely had room to stretch out our arms without hitting each other. Nonetheless we were squished and embarrassed at the same time.

"How are we supposed to change in here?" I asked; half ranted until the scenario finally caught up to me as I blushed. When I scanned the small room for my bag; finding it on Ness's side, he had already started to blush as he worked with his shirt.

"Oh your stuff... right," Ness said awkwardly, handing me my bag as I averted my eyes.

"Sorry..." I said.

"Sorry for what?" Ness asked. I shook my hand as I took out my needed to be washed school uniform.

"Never mind," I replied. It was silent from then on as our backs barely grazed next to each other as we changed into our clothes uncomfortably. Damn Picky, why couldn't he find a bathroom at least?

"Jeff, try not to look up," Ness suddenly spoke. I grunted in response and confusion as my eyes slightly glanced upwards, spotting what looked to be a security camera.

"They're just expecting us to escape, aren't they?" I commented. Ness chuckled.

"We have to remember?" Ness replied. I grunted again.

"Then it slightly makes sense why they'd stick our belongings in a place like this. Makes you wonder what we're really getting ourselves into..." Moments later, I was finally in my attire, while Ness had finally put on his yellow and blue violet stripped shirt on. He slipped his red cap on his head that his special badge attached to the rim. Ness pulled on his back pack while holding his bat.

"You ready?" Ness asked me. I took out my only hand weapon, which was the gun I still needed to fix, or toss at least.

"Barely," I replied. "But I still have a couple of bottle rockets on hand and I managed to find my knife, so I guess I'm good for now," I replied. Ness's mouth curved down.

"That thing is still broken?"

"Sadly yes. It's been difficult for me to think straight lately," I said. Ness nodded as we opened the doors...

... Only to hide back in as we saw a couple of officers talking to Picky in suspicion.

"_Alright young man,_ why are you in here again? You know the drill," One of the officers said. Picky shrugged.

"Is it wrong of me to get a little lost?" Picky said innocently. The security officer sighed.

"Sir, we know that your father and Master Pokey reside on the higher floors of this building, I can't possibly understand how it's so difficult for you to find your way up the Monotoli building, there's just one set of elevators between the bottom floor and floor 47," He said. Picky looked as casual as he could manage, as if he didn't even pay much attention to him. Ness looked at me.

"The jail is below the Monotoli building?!" Ness whispered. It was then that I realized that everything strung together almost perfectly. There was no doubt now that something fishy was happening in the Monotoli building.

"So I was exploring the place a bit, big deal," Picky replied. The security officer studied Picky a bit with suspicion while wrinkling his nose and mustache.

"Look kid, I know you're up to something, you and that bastard of a brother you have. And I-"

"You're calling your master a bastard? Maybe I should tell him so you'll lose your job," Picky replied smartly. The officer's face turned red.

"Alright kid, I know you're hiding those two kids in that room back there, what are you, blind? There's cameras-"

_**"LOOK!"**_ Picky practically screamed; pointing beyond the officer's back. The officer quickly looked over his shoulder.

"_What?! I don't-" Then_ all the sudden, Picky lifter up his leg swiftly to strike the officer in the groin with force while signaling us to come out. So we did and we rushed pass the wailing officer who was in pain and agony.

"We have to get to the elevator, which should be around this corner-" Picky told us as we turned to the elevators. However, there was already a group of security guards there waiting for us.

_"Hey there they are, get them!" _As all three of them quickly rushed up to grab us, but Ness quickly stood in our way and held out his hands swiftly.

_... And all three of the officers collapsed to the ground._ I gawked at them in shock as they lay nearly lifeless on the floor. Picky pushed the button for the elevator that would take us up around 47 flights of stairs.

_"Wha- ...What did you do?!"_ I asked while in a small state of shock, until Ness grabbed my wrist, which made me shake back to reality.

"They're just asleep, now come on," Ness said dragging me into the elevator. Soon enough, we went flying upwards.

---

Soon enough we could see the late afternoon daylight that shone on Fourside. Was it already nearing the next day from when we left the desert? I pondered a bit about how long we were down below the city limits. However, soon enough, none of us even paid any mind. When I looked between Picky and Ness, I was a little confused of the looks they gave each other. While Picky looked a little perplexed, Ness seemed very uneasy and it took me a moment to realize what their silent communication was all about.

"Please stop looking at me like that..." Ness asked politely averting his eyes from a ten year old. _Wow..._

"_How can I not? What did you do to those cops back there?"_ Picky semi questioned with wide eyes. Ness silently winced at his remark and turned his back to look at the city. There was a long sense of silence.

_"... You don't even know yourself?"_ Picky asked. Ness flinched.

"_Shut up... you saw nothing..."_ He hissed under his breath. Picky sighed.

"You said you put them to sleep didn't you?" I asked Ness. However, once Ness replied, I felt like a dumbass for asking and adding into the moment.

"_That's not what he means..."_ Ness muttered, taking off his cap and running his fingers through his hair. Was that a nervous habit of his? Ness's eyes drifted up above us and spotted something. When Picky and I looked as well, there was another security camera looking back at us. Ness sighed.

"That swine is probably looking at us right now through that camera," Ness replied crossing his arms and closing his eyes. All the sudden, something in the camera 'popped' and the camera sparked slightly while the lens popped out. I flinched slightly, assuming that Ness broke the security camera.

"I guess that would also explain why no one has even bothered to stop the elevator in the first place. Because they're expecting us to show up..." Ness blew out hot air.

"No... He's _forcing_ us to show up. I'm positive about that..." I looked at Picky, who didn't seem to protest in any way. I frowned.

"Are you leading us into a trap-" Ness held up a hand.

"Jeff, stop; it's okay. I trust Picky, especially in this situation," Ness replied. Knowing that Ness had the ability to see the evil motives inside people, I went by his words with somewhat of a stubborn attitude. Looking at Picky again, his mouth curved down.

"I told you before Jeff, I'm not fond of what my brother is trying to do..."

"Where are we heading, Picky?" Ness asked suddenly. "Where is that cheap bastard Monotoli hiding her?" Picky shrugged.

"Should be on the top floor. We'll have to find another elevator on floor 47 however so it can take us up there," Picky replied. There was a moment of silence.

_"So... Porky Pig was right all this time..."_ He said as our elevator started to slow down. Ness messed with his bangs again.

"He was right about what you could do..."

"Can we please not talk about him right now?" Ness suddenly asked as our elevator opened.

Surprisingly, no one was in the central room, waiting for our arrival, which I sort of found odd. But just to be safe, all three of us looked around us and every security camera we ran into, Ness instantly destroyed. When we were sure that the coast was clear, we followed Picky to the elevator that would lead us to the top floor. However, soon enough, we heard someone from around the bend storm through a couple of doors with heavy footsteps. Picky's eyes widened.

_"Hide behind that fern there!"_ Picky whispered to us as we quickly obeyed his command. Poking our eyes through the plant, I noticed the same rather large man; I assumed was their father, spot Picky down the hall. His face was still red and his once neat hair was out of place. Nonetheless, he looked pissed like the last time.

_"There you are; what are you still doing here and not back home with that lazy bitch? Surely you must be bored here, so why don't you take the bus home?"_ He questioned. Like with everyone else, Picky seemed casual.

"Well dad, I need _money_ to _ride_ the bus, but since you probably wouldn't want to cough up any change, I might as well stay here a bit longer," Picky replied. The father snorted like a pig as he reached into his pants pocket to get his wallet. He pulled out what looked like a fifty dollar bill. Picky grinned deviously.

_"Fine, _take it and use it to catch the bus or train home. By the way, where's your Porky brother? I've been storming around this tower for hours and he still hasn't responded to my call!" The way he spoke seemed to make Picky flop slightly.

"I... haven't seen him myself, what do you know?" He replied. His father inspected him slightly.

"I forgot to tell you son. That coat suits you. Have a good trip home if I don't manage to see you again before you leave. Get one of the security men to escort you to the station," He said as he stormed off to the opposing elevator that we had just ridden in. When we were sure that he was through the doors to go down, Picky signaled us to pop out again.

"Let's go upstairs I guess..." Picky said as he pulled out a special card key to operate the special elevator. Soon enough, the doors opened for us, as we walked inside the box, descending our way up to the top floor.

---

"I don't understand Ness, what's Porky Pig trying to accomplish?" Picky eventually asked as we awaited our destination. This time, Ness was unresponsive. I wondered why? Did it have something to do with Giygas? The pause lasted a while.

"Can you at least tell me what you're going to do when you get up there?" He went on. Ness put on his cap again. Studying his face, I noticed the bags under his eyes formed larger than ever.

"I just want to get Paula back on our side really. Since you're leading us to her, I'm assuming you're on decent grounds with her. But tell me, _why_ do you know her enough now that you're calling her by her name?" Ness asked, making an interesting point. Picky took a moment to think.

"I dunno, dad just ordered me to go help out the mayor and that's how I ran into her again. When I finally noticed how strange that mayor was acting around her, Porky and himself, I guess I started asking her questions-"

"Monotoli didn't do anything to her, did he?" Ness suddenly asked startled. Picky shrugged.

"Not that I know of. Since when did you know this girl Paula anyways? Why'd you leave all the sudden? Wasn't your mom worried about you?" This was getting to the point where it seemed like Picky was asking too many personal questions and Ness looked a bit infuriated about it. Around this time, we were finally emerging this top floor that Picky spoke of. And on that note, Ness was in responsive and neither of us questioned it for some reason.

Like I've always thought, some things were better left unsaid...

---

When we stepped onto the floors of what was supposedly the top floor, it was dead silent and the rather cool temperature made things wearier than it should have been. Was Paula really up here this entire time? I started to get an eerie feeling from it all.

"This doesn't seem right... well it does, but..." Ness continued, as if he had no idea what he was talking about. "Hey Picky, you have that knife you supposedly purchased from that weapons store on you still?" Ness asked.

"And the lighter, why?"

"Just trying to be prepared," Ness replied. "You alright, Jeff, you've been silent for a while now..." Ness asked, contents of his voice changing. I nodded with confirmation.

"Just a little weary, that's all," I replied. Ness nodded.

"Because I have a feeling that something is going to go wrong soon..." So with the thought in mind, we emerged through the small hallway while following Picky, relying on him that he knew the way. We went through the third door down. Opening the door, the lights were out, so we turned them on.

Inside the windowless cold room was what looked to be an office with a few tables and computers; but the technology itself seemed ancient and the room itself looked as if it hadn't been used in a long while. There was a strange, musty, yet dusty smell in the air. Picky looked around us and gestured us to follow him to the door that was to our left.

"Be as quiet as you can manage..." Picky whispered as we approached the next door. He took out his bundle of keys... where'd he get those keys anyways? When unlocking the door, something accidental and embarrassing happened at the same time. It just happened to be that Ness's bat hat to out a-line itself and drop to the floor with a clank. Ness picked it up immediately when we heard what sounded like a machine, operate suddenly.

"_Say the secret code..."_ We heard a robotic voice say. All three of us jumped as we saw a robotic object drifting towards us with its wheels. All three of us eyed each other. What would happen if we didn't know the password?

"_Say the secret code in 10...9... 8," _It started to count down. All the sudden, we started saying the most random things, from words, numbers, abbreviations and such, but it was no use. Once it counted down to zero, it held out one of its robotic cannons and fired what looked like a rocket, preferably; possibly the kind I used. All three of us jumped out of the way as the rocket collided into the wall with a bang! Ness and I got back up to our feet instantly, but when we looked back down at Picky, he looked dead shocked.

_"They... it fires __**missiles?!**__"_ Picky asked stunned. Ness gripped his bat.

"Not for long," Ness replied as he ran up to the machine to give it a good whack across the robotic head. It created a spark, but it was still functioning somewhat. I decided to try operating my gun and while it fired five times, it broke down again. Swearing, I threw the gun at the robot in hostility. Nonetheless it still functioned. It started to flash a bright red light while setting off a loud alarm. Trying to fire another rocket again, it missed miserably. Ness must have managed to corrupt its coordination by hitting it. This time however, the robot seemingly went bonkers as it started to tackle the wall and the computer desks, making a loud bit corrupted mess. However, after running around for too long and with another whack with Ness's bat, the robot malfunctioned and stopped moving. All of us sighed in relief.

"I didn't have to use PSI... thankfully..." Ness sighed. Ness took one more whack at the robot before turning back to Picky and I. Picky slowly got to his feet.

"_That was ridiculous! How could you stand up to that thing so boldly like that?!" _Picky asked in amazement. Ness smirked.

"_Who's bold now? Say their name..."_ Ness spoke in pay back for before. However Picky dusted off himself and snorted.

"Alright alright, so you aren't that pathetic after all... Cept four eyes over here still needs to prove his balls," Picky replied pulling out his keys. I could feel the anger rise to my head.

"I don't think Jeff likes being called four eyes, Picky," Ness said hesitantly. However Picky shrugged.

"He'll get used to it," He said.

_"Get used to it?!"_ I growled. Picky unlocked the door.

"But of course," Picky replied smirking at me. _Boy did I want to prove him wrong... or punch him senseless, whichever made me feel better._ Ness sighed.

"Let's just go," He said.

---

We were lucky to keep ourselves silent through the next few rooms. However they seemed to drag on forever and it was all a bit annoying. Eventually however, we had managed to reach an area that seemed a bit newer in use and to our surprise; we had managed to find Electra's room. The girl that had in dearly wished for the trout flavored yogurt machine. Her eyes lit up when she spotted Ness and I.

"Oh! There you two are! _Did you get it back? Pweety pweety please?"_ She asked with hope in her eyes as she clasped her hands together. Ness put down his back pack, which I was sure he was tired of carrying around because of the weight of the yogurt machine.

"Here maim, this is what you wanted, right?" Ness asked. She opened it and inspected it.

"_It's perfect!"_ She replied with her peppy voice. Gahhh, why did it annoy me so much? She set the machine on the counter.

"Oh, and are you Ness?" She asked politely. Ness nodded slowly.

"...Yeah...?" Ness replied in confusion. Electra nodded as she took out a cup and spoon, put her yogurt contents inside and operated the machine. All three of us looked at each other in confusion until the contents squirted out into the cup.

"Master Pokey wanted me to make this special yogurt, especially for you Mr. Ness. You're our guest of honor after all," She replied smiling as she handed him the cup. The look on Ness's face was uneasy again and he looked into the cup, almost in disgust.

"Thank you... yeah..." He said. Electra smiled sweetly.

"I'm sure you'll find your way around, if you manage to get lost, just call my room. And I'm sure Master Pokey will make you feel welcome here, he's quite the gentleman!" She said while blushing to herself. I couldn't help but notice Picky's snickering, but when I looked at Ness's face, that was a totally different story. We left the room; Picky laughing to himself while Ness's expression was pained and pissed as he crunched his cup and tossed it in the nearest trash.

---

"We should be closer now," Picky told us as he unlocked one last door that led us into a fairly large, empty room with a chandelier, nice carpet, and a potted fern towards the back wall.

"Monotoli's room is right through that door over there, meaning Paula should be right through-"

_**CLANK**_

All three of us jumped up in surprise while turning our heads to the source of the sudden outburst. When we spotted a different looking robot, walking and moving around like a drunk, we all backed off a bit. When attempting to stand still, it kept stumbling. Picky and Ness chuckled.

"This'll be easy, it can barely stand up in the first place," Ness said as he approached the bot. However when I heard the robot making a strange beeping noise, something seemed frighteningly wrong. All the sudden, its entire body jerked out of control.

_"Ness, Picky, watch out!"_ I shouted as I tackled Ness to the ground to get him out of the way. Picky yelped as he must have jumped out of the way as well. Looking up, the robot, it had started firing multiple missiles across the room. It was both its demise and strength that its aim was poor and random. It started moving wildly around the room. Ness and I stood up as we saw the robot tackling itself oddly against the back wall where the fern was. Picky took this opportunity to run to the last door to try and unlock it. However, Picky had trouble doing so.

_"Shit, did I drop that key somewhere?!"_ He swore out loud as he patted himself. However, he didn't even have enough time to do that as the clumsy robot started rushing towards him. Picky dashed away while Ness ran up and used one of his special abilities. The shocking thing was, it re-bounded and struck all the walls around us, barely missing any of us. _Holy..._

"_Damn it, it has a shield of some sort,"_ Ness swore as he put a hand over his mouth. The robot started rushing towards Ness, who in response, wacked the robot as it rushed by. While succeeding at hitting it, the robot still rushed passed us and rammed into the wall while managing to knock down the potted plant.

"If I would have known that this was going to happen, I would have brought my own bat or something!" Picky remarked.

"This is not even a time to regret Picky, just _live!_" Ness replied. Just then our eyes opened in horror as we saw the robot lift up the plant and forcefully toss it towards Picky and I. We both dodged, but the top half managed to make Picky fall flat on his face.

"_Jeff set up a bottle rocket, we'll distract it!"_ Ness told me. I nodded while thinking how dumb of me for not doing so before. The only problem with setting up the damn thing, did I even have the time? When I took it out of its case, the robot started firing madly across the room again.

"_There's no time Ness,"_ I replied. Ness growled.

"_Think of something, I can't swing my bat at this thing forever!"_ Ness replied with a huff as the robot started chasing Ness around the room. I scanned the empty room; the place was practically empty. Looking up at the ceiling to find the chandelier gave me an idea for a moment, but there was some planning to be involved. I took out my bag, and rushed through it as quickly as I could manage. The only things that were useful I had was my hp sucker which only seemed to work half of the time.

"Picky, get over here!" I called. Picky rushed over.

"Use this for your defense," I told him, handing him the hp sucker.

"Is it a gun?" Picky asked.

"Sort of. It's not guaranteed to work 24/7-" The robot violently crashed into the wall next to us. I grabbed the most random thing out of my bag before we had to quickly immigrate to a different area. Looking into my hand, I held the insecticide spray that I fixed all the way back in Winters. _Damn it how was this going to help us fed off an out of control robot?_ I thought again. I was sure that the robot was bound to run out of energy soon, or bang itself up too much. I was sure that Ness was irritated that I was standing around, thinking but at the same time doing nothing. Ness was tired of running around and so was Picky; I had to think of something fast. The robot fired a few more beams. The more it fired the more I flinched. Then for some reason; the word 'fire' kept repeating in my head as I looked down at my spray can. Then it clicked instantly.

_"Picky, I need your lighter,"_ I yelled while the robot tumbled around clumsily. Ness was panting by this time.

"_My lighter?!"_ Picky questioned while reaching into his coat's pocket. I shook up the spray can. Picky tossed it towards me as I saw Ness whack the robot again against the wall forcefully with a grunt. I rushed over to Ness and the robot while it was seemingly plastered to the wall.

"_Stand back,"_ I ordered Ness.

_"Are you crazy, you're going to light the whole damn building on fire!"_ Ness protested as he stood back.

"Well then, we'll just have to see the outcome, now won't we?" I replied while holding out the lighter and situating the spray in front of the flame. Without hesitation, I sprayed and soon enough an outburst of flames showered the pitiful metal creature, as some of the features on its metallic body, including the antenna on top of its head started to melt. Ness approached slowly besides me while Picky was behind us.

"I think someone is at the door!" Picky shouted as he must have gone to tend to the door. We watched as the robot slowly melted underneath the heat. But I knew soon enough that the flames would stop.

"... Is it broken now?" Ness asked as my spray can was empty and the giant flames were no more. There was an awful stench in the air.

"I want to say yes, but I'm not sure about that," I replied. The robot lay limply against the wall, sliding down slowly. Ness chuckled.

"I seriously would have never thought of that. But you know that you still had that dragonite I gave you, right?" Ness asked. I slapped my forehead.

"Thanks for making me feel like a _dumbass_ Ness..." I replied. Ness all the sudden gripped my shoulder. I blushed at first, but his gesture wasn't affection but more so for warning, as we saw the robot twitch again in action. This time, it stood up again, and the melted antenna on its head glowed bright. _Oh god, I thought._ The beam was huge and monstrous as it barely grazed my skin as we both dodged it in different directions. The side of my neck and face started to burn slightly. Looking back up, the melted robot was yet again back to life. Then all the sudden-

"Not another one! Get em, Lucky!" Both of our jaws dropped as what looked like the Runaway Five storm through the door. We watched one of the band members dash with grace behind the robot.

"_Where's its switch?"_ He said out loud. My jaw dropped even further. _It was just a matter of flipping off a switch all this time?!_ I looked back at the band and Picky, who grinned down at me with a thumb up.

"_Here it is!"_ Lucky yelled as the robot looked to have a mental breakdown, until the living robot was no more. The band, including Picky applauded his success at beating the robot. _All by simply flipping off a damn switch..._ The man known as Lucky bowed from his successful attempt.

"I don't understand; how did you guys know we were headed up here?" Ness suddenly asked. All of them suddenly started to laugh. Lucky walked over to Ness to put an arm around his shoulder.

"Well you see here, it's about time we paid our debt somewhat. You kids saved our butts countless times, now it's our turn."

"We noticed that you two were being hauled unconscious, so we followed yeh guys," Another said. "Oh, and I think you guys dropped this," He spoke dangling a key. Picky took the key in hand.

"We figured; you're here to save your friend Paula, right? I have a fishy suspicion that she might be through that door." One of them said. Picky unlocked the next door.

"We'll keep guard of the door while you go in there and rescue her, alright?" Lucky told Ness and I. Ness nodded his head silently as he made his way to the door with Picky. I flashed Lucky a smile and wave before following along into the next and hopefully final room.

---

As we opened the door, the first thing I saw was a giant grizzly bear! But after noticing it was stuffed, I sighed in relief. Just like Pokey's office down on the 47th floor, this room was much more sophisticated than all the rest, with couches, detailed drapery hanging from the windows. All three of us slowly emerged into the room further while scanning the room. While taking my first step, I felt something beneath my foot. Startled, I stepped back to look down.

And at my feet there was Mr. Ziggy, wrinkling its nose and making another hefty sneeze on my shoes. I must have stepped on him accidentally.

"Well… there's that Mr. Saturn… but where's…"

_**"Stop, stop right there!"**_ We heard one's frightened voice state from behind the couch. Ness went full speed towards the voice.

_**"WHERE IS SHE?!"**_ Ness ordered immediately. Then I saw him, on the other side of the sofa, cowering on the floor. Monotoli looked like he was truly on his last leg as I saw tears streaming from his eyes.

_"Stop, please don't hurt meeeeee!"_ He wailed. However, Ness didn't seem to be buying any of it.

_"If you lend her back to us safe and leave us alone, then maybe we can talk about me not hurting you!"_ Ness growled angrily. I sighed. I was surprised that Monotoli didn't have his guns with him.

"Just tell us where she is…" I said calmly. And we waited there as I heard his muffled sobs.

"_… I give up… look at my skinny arms… my gray hair… I've become so weak… so helpless once that statue took over myself and is now gone…."_

_"We don't give a shit about the Mani Mani statue anymore, now-"_

_"Listen… Paula's fine, she should be taking a nap on the couch right over there…"_ He said pointing weakly over to a certain couch where Picky had already emerged to.

"She's out," Picky nearly chuckled. Ness immediately rushed over, me close behind.

And there she was; in her new clothes from the department store, sleeping like a dove. Surprisingly, from what I could see, there were no marks on her. Perhaps; she looked healthier than she was when she traveled with us all along. Nonetheless, while it was the exact case with Ness, Paula looked extra peaceful while she slept.

"… Paula has been a very good; sweet girl to all of us. In that sense, I was happy that I had someone to talk to that actually made me feel like a person, even when I really was under that trance…" We all turned to Monotoli, who had just started to stand up, only to sit back on the couch to support his aching head.

"… I didn't do anything to her, I promise… and I'm sorry for kidnapping her and causing you so much pain and trouble… it was just…" Monotoli started to say. This time I frowned. I managed to speak before Ness did.

"_It's just what? Why did you want to go ahead and do that in the first place?"_ I asked. It took him a moment for him to speak, as if there were multiple things he was mingling through in his brain.

"I… I was caught… _trapped_ in the magic of the Mani Mani statue… everywhere I looked, _illusions… evil and greedy thoughts… they fueled my mind and weakened my heart so much that now I can barely speak or eat without trembling from the aftershock of such power…"_ He spoke. "… It was such an empowering feeling; it feels like a wave of energy that your body feels as if you need it… and addiction that makes you feel like you're are on top of the world, when in reality, you are the lowest creature of all existence…" We were all silent from his words.

"But then… when I started feeling and hearing the subliminal messages from its evil reach… I started to grow frightened of this almighty power. It was like my subconscious mind was telling me to do things that I didn't want do… it seemed threatening to me and I grew so tired of it. But the more I had it in my possession, the more of its bidding I did and that's how I came across the idea of kidnapping that sweet little angel Paula over there. There was a message that kept repeating in my head along with an inhuman voice; 'Stop Ness with all your power… keep him from the pyramid… from the city of Summers. It was as if that phrase alone was my ultimate goal and I obeyed it without a second thought, because maybe I thought, if I did do something for it, maybe I would be rewarded… but in the end, I realized, I did it because I was afraid… I was afraid for my life… no… everyone's lives," He explained.

"… And that's why you hid it behind Jackie's café… you were too scared to hold it for yourself," I said.

"That's right… but I also had to keep in contact with it, or else I feared something worse would happen. It was around this time that rumors started spreading that I was appearing at the café. I went there to pray, because it was more of a peaceful way for me to communicate with the evil inside of the statue, instead of confronting it head on." Ness looked like he had something on his mind, and when he spoke, I couldn't help but feel curious myself.

"What was the deal between you and Everdred…?" Ness asked. Monotoli let off a strangled sigh.

"Everdred was the one that wanted to make a deal with me and the statue, but instead of paying for it, I stole it from him. Nonetheless, I knew in the back of my mind that he would have come back for it somehow. When I saw him that day that I first met you two in Jackie's Café, I panicked; my mind was blank… I know in the back of my mind I did something horrible, but I can't remember… or maybe I'm too weak and afraid to dig through my memories…" He sighed.

"Did the voice from the statue reveal its identity at all?" Ness asked.

"It was very vague to me… it didn't reveal its name, but I could sense a feeling of invasion… a phantom or creature or something… I don't really know what it wanted to truly accomplish by stopping you, but-"

"You were hearing Giygas… Giygas was the one communicating to you through the statue…" All of us spun around to the young innocent voice from the couch; Paula, who rubbed her eyes, had awoken from sleep.

"_P… Paula…"_ Ness spoke weakly looking at Paula on the couch. Paula smiled at both of us.

"You don't have to worry anymore; I'm here now Ness…" She smiled. Ness looked as if he was about to cry; we all watched him fight back his tears as Paula embraced him in a hug.

_"Paula… I'm sorry…" _Ness mumbled. Paula hummed before letting go; Ness however looked as if he didn't want to break apart. _Their bond was so close… so intimate,_ I thought. _More intimate than my connection with Tony…_ I shamefully thought to myself.

"Thank you Picky… thank you so much for leading them here," She smiled sweetly towards Picky. Picky smirked cockily.

"And you thought I wasn't going to get them here, did you?" He asked. Paula shook her head.

"Nah, I trusted you. You're not as bad as you say you are after all," She smiled while turning to Monotoli and me. Nonetheless Picky looked baffled and defeated.

"How are you, Paula?" I asked. Paula's face lit up when she saw me and immediately walked up to me to give me a small hug. She didn't say anything much different.

"Paula, please listen to me… I want you to go back with your friends; they need you more than I do and I'm sure you were happier with them anyways," Monotoli told them.

"So… how are we going to head to Summers anyways?" Ness asked. Monotoli stood up.

"Which also reminds me… Jeff, Paula has told me a lot about your knowledge of machines and mechanics… you think you could tackle the task of flying my helicopter down to Summers for them?" He asked me. My jaw dropped. I didn't really know why, considering I did fly … _his_ sky runner invention before.

"You think you could do it, Jeff?" Ness asked me. It took a moment; I could feel a little pressure on my own shoulders as everyone's eyes rested on my sloppy appearance. I rubbed the back of my head.

"I'm sure it isn't that hard; I've studied some air craft's back in school, so I might be able to tackle it," I replied. Ness and Paula's eyes lit up slightly. When my eyes drifted to Picky, he was casually on the couch, fiddling with his lighter. Monotoli stood up.

"Well I guess that settles it then, let me go get the big switch behind the bear-"

… _A nearby wall had started to open up mechanically…_ Monotoli's eyes grew wide in horror.

"Wha- What's _happening, why is it opening up all by itself?"_ Monotoli asked in confusion. When looking down the dark narrow passage, that's when I heard him… _that laugh, was in mistakable__._ I narrowed my eyes as he approached the room.

_"Haha, what a sweet and touching reunion this is… mind if I barge in for a moment?"_ Pokey snickered as he leaned his right shoulder on the passage's wall, as if he was having a bit of trouble standing up straight.

_"P-Pokey, I thought you were down town for the day, what brings you here…?_" Monotoli spoke nervously. What was visible of Pokey's light blue eye seemingly eyed Monotoli with suspicion. An eerie grin spread across his face.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you? If you knew that two young gentlemen such as Ness and Jeff was in the jail below the tower, wouldn't you make sure that things wouldn't get out of hand… like they already have?" He spoke. Monotoli took a step back in horror.

"_No… nonononono, get back, you're just as bad as that statue, I won't let you get a hold of me!"_ Monotoli panicked as he rushed to the door, but managed to trip. Glancing at Ness, he was stock still and Paula hid behind both of us. However this time, there was a different look on her face, as if she had seen all of this before. Pokey limped through the room passed us towards Monotoli.

"Huh… I had a feeling that your mind would snap one of these days; I expected it from the start. Really Monotoli… _you're pathetic…"_ Pokey spoke down at him. Monotoli shook his head. Getting up again, he dashed to the door.

"_I'll send the police here to arrest you!"_ Monotoli wailed as he stumbled out of the room. And then there was a moment of silence again… all of our eyes watched the young man in the red and black stripped suit who was either looking at the door or on the floor.

"He's just like the rest of them… fearing his life more than anything in the world. Well I guess he isn't very useful anymore…" Pokey continued. "Picky… why are you still here?" He asked. Picky shrugged.

"… Don't tell me that you actually helped her…" Pokey started to say in a more bitter tone. Picky finally stood up.

"_And what if I did?"_ Picky started. _"You were the one that wanted Ness and Jeff to show up in the first place," _Picky said. They both stood there staring at each other eye to eye.

"… Just do yourself a favor, and get out of here before things get out of hand," Pokey told him in a rather quiet tone. Picky raised an eyebrow.

"And what is the _Master Porky Pig_ going to do if I don't leave?" Picky asked. Pokey frowned.

"As your brother, it's more of a request. _Please leave before things get out of hand…"_ He said in an eerily low tone. Picky took a moment, until he actually nodded and walked out of the room. But instead of exiting, countless security guards came walking in, each holding a member of the Runaway Five while one held a handcuffed Monotoli while another firmly held on to Picky.

"_What the hell is this Pokey?!" _Picky ordered as he tried fighting the guard's grip. Pokey shrugged.

"I told you that things would get out of hand. Oh well…" He smiled slightly.

"Pokey… this needs to stop… what you're doing…" Monotoli begged. There was another moment of silence in the room, when finally, Pokey let off an echoing laughter in the room. Paula squeezed our hands.

"I just cannot _believe_ that it actually came down to this… well maybe I did, but that's not the matter. Ness! Welcome… while hoping that you wouldn't get up here, I knew on the back of my mind that you would and as you can see, Paula is fine. However, by letting you take back your precious Paula, your helicopter ride to Summers is being delayed permanently, for I already have the first right to use it after all," He said smirking deviously at Ness. Ness snarled.

_"Why don't you just leave us alone?! You're making all of this more complicated than it has to be, __**why don't you just get out of my life for good!"**_ Ness roared as I could feel the room vibrate from his voice. Pokey smirked.

_"It's my __**life.**_ You can blame me if you'd like, but merely it wouldn't match up with my anger towards you. We reside on the same coin you and I. Once flipped, we'll see who comes out on top," Pokey explained. Ness snorted.

"It's not that hard to leave us alone you know just don't _affiliate_ with me, how hard is that?" Ness asked. Pokey looked around the room.

"_Very, Ness. Very very difficult you see,"_ He replied.

"_**And why is that?!"**_ Ness asked. Pokey paced slowly around the room, walking awkwardly as he did so.

"Well you see… I don't think it's in my power to say exactly why, but let me put it this way. I'm just promoting the duty that has been bestowed upon me. And in a matter of fact, I enjoy this job. But you see, I'm running a bit low on time now, so I'll have to be going now-"

"_You're not going anywhere right now,"_ I finally said to him. Pokey stopped in his tracks.

"Oh?" He spoke. I glared at him.

"Stop hiding behind a silly mask and come out. _What are you trying to do and why?"_ I asked. Pokey snickered.

"Well it's always an honor to see the infamous Jeff Andonuts now isn't it? But I believe… didn't I tell you not to get yourself involved with this more? Besides… what did I say?" He added. I momentarily was at a loss of words, but once they caught up with me, I sighed.

"Leave Jeff alone, Please," Ness asked politely. However, Pokey snickered instead.

"No, let us talk. And yes, I remember what you said. _I don't give a rat's ass anymore," _I told him. Pokey's mouth curved down slightly, but then quickly covered it with a smile.

"Well then I guess you don't care about what happens to Tony now don't you?" Pokey asked me. I shook my head.

"I don't care in the context that I won't let you get your way. By the way, I was right back at our little meeting. Looks like you managed to keep Paula safe and sound for us, just what I had intended," I said. Ness looked at me in surprise. Pokey chuckled again.

"Just remember that _I _wasn't the one that held her hostage this time... although in a way, I guess I did. And yes, I guess you did manage to get her safe and sound, I sincerely applaud your seemingly courageous efforts, both of you. Really, congratulations; how ever did you pull it off?" Pokey smiled.

"Well… one of your weaknesses was Demetri himself," I told him. All the sudden, the atmosphere shifted into a darker tone. And from the looks of it, Pokey didn't seem to like where I was going.

"Demetri?" Pokey acted as if he had no idea who I was talking about. I wasn't buying it.

"Yes; the Man of Mani Mani himself. And from what I could tell, you were probably using him to keep track of us and our actions at the hostel. And because of that, you were able to know when and where we were going to go each day in Fourside. I remember Demetri specifically telling me that he had been trying to search for his precious statue for quite some time. I bet you somehow kept them at arm's length to threaten him until it came down to Monotoli. But when Demetri did find all his answers, Monotoli was probably too scared of anything and everything about him getting close to it. So he used its power to send Demetri back to Moonside," I told him. Though Pokey was grinning, his eyes slowly started telling a different story.

"Jeff…" Ness said.

"And what else would you like to add to that?" Pokey asked.

"A lot. In fact, remember how you said that you knew things that humanity had yet to discover? And the fact that you knew, all this time and not your brother for example, that Ness and Paula both have powers. That has to link to what you're trying to accomplish here. And like Monotoli just told us, his own subconscious told him to stop us, as if his subconscious was something else; something _in_humane." I said. Pokey frowned.

"What are you trying to get at?" Pokey said in a light tone. "You don't honestly think..." I could finally tell now, that he was starting to feel uneasy. I clenched my fists.

"My final and my biggest observation; there is only _one_ that truly wants to stop our accomplishments," I said.

"I should be leaving-"

"Give it up Pokey, I _know_ what you've been doing; it's obvious; _you've been acting under Giygas's orders."_ I finally stated. Pokey's reaction was unexpected as his eyes momentarily widened like I had been snooping through all of his biggest secrets.

"In fact, the Mani Mani statue was just a tool… a device that could let Giygas's channeling commence and that is how and why the people of Fourside has been acting strangely and that is especially why the people here have been giving Ness and Paula, but mainly Ness strange, almost obsessive looks lately." I said. It was silent again.

"… You see… this was exactly what I meant when I said that you shouldn't have gotten yourself involved like this. Scientific minds such as yours make me sick," Pokey spoke with a cracked voice.

"In reality... you're nothing but merely a bus boy doing all of Giygas's duties for him..." Pokey drifted his eyes to Ness, who looked to be in a state of surprise and shock.

"_… Pokey?_ I knew that you've been making my life difficult but… _Giygas?"_ Ness asked in a hushed, but desperate tone. "... _You really were on Giygas's side this entire time?"_ It took a moment for Pokey to actually respond, but his cockiness was completely gone; replaced by what looked to be anger that he tried controlling by clenching his fists. Finally, Pokey snapped, as he rammed his arm into a vase, knocking it down on the floor as it shattered. Pokey brushed a hand into his forehead.

"I should have known… obviously that you would end up not only saying his name, but to try and humiliate myself in front of many people. I mean come on, it's happened to me so many times before," He mumbled.

"Then we're not all that different in that sense," I told him, thinking back to all those times that I was ashamed to hear my father's name. Yet again, another moment of silence.

_"Pokey…"_ Ness murmured. Pokey finally raised his voice.

"You really think I'm probably doing this for fun and games… as if you expect me to truly enjoy this _curse_ I have been enduring for all my life… _you have no idea what it's like, and in that sense, yes, I know something that no one else on the planet knows._ But you know what… it's a part of me now that I cannot let go very easily." Pokey finally looked up at me.

"This curse that has been bestowed on my shoulders is nothing like the channeling that one would witness through the statue of Mani Mani… no no, it's _unexplainable__._ Now if you excuse me, I must leave," He suddenly said.

"_Pokey, why…"_ Ness said again.

"I can only imagine that is why you can't leave us alone," I spoke.

_"Shut up,"_ Pokey said.

"At least I know how you truly operate now."

"_… Shut the fuck up before I…"_ By this time Pokey's eyes looked bloodshot, tired and dead as they glared back into my own.

"You just didn't want me to get involved because you _knew_ that this would happen," I spoke again. This time, he actually stepped forward towards me.

"_How would you like to know how it really is?!"_ Pokey's voice was filled with venom and anger, all towards me. _ "I can show you at this very moment-"_

Everything happened very fast. My eyes widened as I saw him raise a fist that aimed towards my face. But before he could even strike my nose, Ness had managed to slip between us to prevent Pokey from getting closer to me. How he did so baffled me like no other, because his method was quickly embracing him in a hug.

Pokey froze into the embrace, irises open underneath dirty locks of blond hair. Ness's arms wrapped weakly around his back and shivered when he did so. Pokey's arms stuck out awkwardly and his bottom lip started to tremble a bit. But I didn't blame his state of shock, I was in one myself.

Ness started shivering more now; I think the realization kicked in that he was not only hugging his childhood friend, but one of his worst enemies. Then I realized... he wasn't hugging him to comfort him... Did he embrace him because he might have prevented what Pokey was about to do next? But it didn't matter; I couldn't help but pity the both of them. It was identical... I believed... to the bond that my father and I share today. And when I saw Pokey slowly raise his hands to reach around Ness's shoulders, I really wasn't sure what to expect.

But then the next thing he did while shaking in the process, he grabbed Ness's shoulders forcefully, squeezing them tightly, as he ripped his body from his, tossing him onto the floor in the middle of the room.

"_Ness,"_ I gasped. Paula gasped as well as she tried rushing past me to him, but I grabbed her arm to keep her put. I wasn't sure what to expect between them at the moment.

Pokey's eyes were hidden from me again, but from the look of his frown, I was sure that he was glaring down at Ness, who looked back up at him, glaring back but without the energy. Soon enough, Pokey stomped off, past all the guards and pacing through the door. Ness immediately got off the floor.

_"__**Pokey!"**_ Ness called as he rushed his way past. I snorted and followed them, Paula behind me. I was surprised that no one was stopping us from getting through.

---

When we got to the door at the end of the hall, we ended up on top of the sun lit city. I had to shield my eyes from the bright setting sun in the distance. Outside, Paula and I found the yellow helicopter already spinning its propeller in attempt to take off. Ness was literally a half step too late before the craft started lifting higher into the sky; Pokey standing, and holding onto the drop ladder.

_**"You're just going to leave and not explain a thing to us?!"**_ Ness hollered at him. Pokey's hair waved wildly in the wind; his eyes scanning from me and Paula to him. His eyes were both pained and mad. It was as if the cocky Pokey we had once known had vanished. The helicopter lifted higher and higher into the sky as Ness hollered him to come back. However, I finally decided as the helicopter transcended higher and higher into the sky that my hypothesis was correct. _His weak point was Ness all this time..._ I thought. Paula rushed up to Ness who was still staring blankly at the yellow helicopter flying into the distance. I drifted my eyes to my feet. _Why did I feel so guilty all of the sudden?_

"So he's gone?" I heard Picky say as he walked up beside me crossing his arms. I looked out into the distance again.

"... Yeah... I'm not sure how long it'll be though," I replied. Picky sighed.

"He's always gone... but I guess now it's starting to make more sense to me..." There was a pause and during it, I watched as Paula shook Ness's sleeve. Ness's head still averted up into the sky.

"Do you have any idea where he might be going?" I asked Picky.

"Not at all... " Picky replied. There was a gust of wind then, blowing my bangs across my eyes.

"I guess it doesn't really matter right now..." I said. And that was it. We all stood on top of the Monotoli building, gazing at the late sun lit brilliant sky while Ness broke down in the distance. It was so complicated; but was there something Ness wanted to say to him all this time?

I could see the twinkle of a tear rolling down his cheek.

_It matched perfectly with the twinkle in the distance..._


	17. The Perfect Reunion

_**A/N:**_ Thanks to Yuku, Dream, Red, Pure-White-Angel22, Lea, DanMat6288 and UnoZ for reviewing my story on ! x3 And of course thank you, the rest of you who have been reading and enjoying this story so far.

Sorry for the wait on this chapter, my life has been a bit hectic for me at the moment, so I wasn't able to write this until now. But I'm really happy that I got to this chapter when I did.

Yet again, this is another one of those _THE_ chapters I guess, because I've been planning this for a long long time, possibly longer than the event that happened in the last chapter. There are some ideas I explored in this chapter and I'll just have to see if I explore them more in the future.

Nonetheless, all of you, thanks. And I hope you all enjoy chapter 17!

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxX

_Let's just say that I was never normal to begin with. It should have been obvious to me from the start. Isn't that why he abandoned me anyways?_

_So… what did this all mean? Ever since I started living alone in school, I had always questioned my life and where it was going and most of all why. Why this, why that..._

_Why was my name Jeff Andonuts?_

_Why did my father totally abandon me?_

_… Why did my mom have to die? Who or what was that strange being that dreaded fateful night? Does dad hate me for what's happened to us? _

_…Why am I on this seemingly aimless journey? Where were we going? Why? The world wasn't in peril yet… was it? Then while remembering all of those freakish incidents, such as the alien spook in the department store to that hell hole that was Moonside, while it was more confusing, it started to make some sort of sense to me._

_It's not that I didn't enjoy Ness or Paula's company, really. I've grown especially fond of both of them and their… out of the norm nature. But I couldn't say that I wasn't any stranger, mentally at least. After all, what normal kid would rather be in school than go out to save the world we barely knew about? Was it even worth saving?_

_And why especially Ness? What was so special about him that both Paula and I saw in him? It was obvious that he played a big particular role in all of this, but why? And why was I becoming more and more involved in this big problem?_

_… and why oh why… _

_The more my mind would wander; the more I questioned everything around me, nonetheless my own state of being. Pokey's words would always replay in my mind like a poem. Like a twisted broken record that was seemingly bound to break but never will…_

_"__The __**universe**__ would __**die **__without __**him**__..."_

_... Will the universe die without me too? _

_…_

_What would dad have to say about all this?_

XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 17 The Perfect Reunion_

XxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxX

_So was that it?_ I thought as we looked out into the setting sun lit sky. Surely that wasn't the last time we'd see him… was it?

I was starting to regret it. What if at that very instance, he was headed to Winters? If he ever came across Tony, what would happen to him? The horrific images of seeing my best childhood friend in peril; lost or even dead made me shake my head violently.

"You gonna hold up okay?" Picky asked me. I looked down to him blankly for a moment, but nodded.

"I think I'll be ok… I'm not sure how Ness will be doing though…" I said, glancing in the distance to him. Ness's head was now lowered as he tilted the rim of his hat in attempt to cover part of his face. Paula, in all her innocence had tried to comfort him as best as she could. It only made me more curious; all because of the psychic boy in the red cap. Did he really care about him all this time? What kind of friendship did Ness and Pokey used to share? What really sparked his journey and was Giygas the primary cause of Pokey making Ness's life a living hell? I was new to most of these things still, but I think, on the back of his mind, that Ness knew all along. He was just too afraid to admit this horrible truth.

"So he finally left…" Picky and I turned to Monotolli, who had walked out recently. "… I guess that's a sigh of relief for me…"

"What about the Runaway Five and the guards?" I asked him. Monotolli sighed.

"Took care of them. After all, I'm the real one in charge around here, might as well take advantage of what little power I have left…" He said. He turned his gaze towards the sky and city again.

"It's hard to believe… this city is gorgeous from above all the smog. I wish I was able to recognize such a magnificent view before…" He said. However, my eyes weren't glued to the city.

"Yeah…" I said, almost mutely, looking at the broken hearted boy.

---

When we finally made our way back downstairs, Monotoli shut the door behind us once he knew that we were all off of the roof. Monotoli still had a nervous nature about him as he fidgeted his fingers together for a moment.

"Well… now that that's over with… I want to apologize again. I'm so sorry… sorry for causing you all of this pain and trouble." We were all silent, especially Ness who was seemingly blanking out as he gazed his eyes to the floor. When I finally was able to speak up, Paula spoke up before me.

"No… thank you for resisting and keeping me safe," Paula replied smiling slightly. Monotoli gave Paula a perplexed expression, but I was sure that he appreciated her kindness. Monotoli exhaled through his nose and smiled.

"You three are allowed to come and go through this city as you'd like. You can stay in our finest hotels for free if you ever need to return here…" He nodded as he glanced nervously to us. I think he was intimidated. We all on the most part came on terms with him and nodded and we were soon on our way. However, before we reached the door, Paula stopped in her tracks.

"Nnngh…" Holding her forehead as if she had a migraine, Paula groaned as she covered her eyes. Mr. Ziggy rubbed his nose on her ankles, which didn't help her one bit in her weird moment.

"Paula…?" Ness spoke with a hint of panic rising in his voice. Picky and I frowned. Was that all I could really do at the time? Paula groaned again.

"What's happening to her?" Monotoli asked nervously. After a few moments, Paula stopped shivering. The tension in the air seemed to thin out.

"Are you alright?" Picky asked suddenly. Paula shook one last time before taking a moment to take her hands away and stare blankly at her palms.

"Well… that was a frightening dilemma…" Monotoli spoke.

"We have to go to Threed in order to reach Summers… I believe that is what we have to do next… I'm sure of it," Paula spoke. All of us were silent again.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Picky asked again. Paula smiled contently.

"Yep. That sort of thing happens to me once and a while, it's normal to me," Paula replied. Picky's tried cracking a smile but for some reason, couldn't get it to come out. He looked like he had something on his mind.

"Wait a second… if you guys are headed to Threed, can I tag along til we get there?" Picky suddenly asked. I was a bit skeptical of him joining the team, even for just a small segment of it. I wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. It seemed however that he was moreso asking Ness for the permission, seeing that Ness knew him more than anyone else in the room. However, Ness looked as if that previous moment had boggled him down more than ever, so I was really surprised that he actually said something.

"You need to get back home in Onett, don't you?" Ness spoke in a low, quiet and unusual tone. Picky nodded.

"If you don't cause too much trouble… I can take you home there myself…" Ness said, grabbing Paula's hand and walking away through the door. I frowned even more. _So how long was he gonna be like this? _ I thought. Monotoli bided us farewell as we walked out of his room.

---

"Hey you guys!" The band member named Lucky spoke happily waving at us. All four of us weren't exactly picked up by his words, but we tried faking our enthusiasm. By this time, we had made it to the bottom floor, where they were all gathered, lazily lounging around.

"What are you guys still doing here…?" Ness spoke. Lucky's singing partner grinned.

"You kidding? We were all waiting around to see if you guys needed a ride somewhere. We're headed back to Twoson temporarily, so we were all wondering if you guys needed a lift somewhere along the way." All the members nodded in agreement. We all looked at each other. Paula looked up to Ness, who in reply nodded back.

"Can you give us all a ride to Threed for us please? If that isn't any trouble for you guys…"

"Of course it isn't! Anything for you kids. You've done so much for us, what's the least we can do for yah, right? Guys, let's pack up and rock n' roll out of here!" They all seemed to cheer and talk amongst themselves as we all followed them. It took me about a split second to register as we all were walking out the doors that Ness wasn't present. I stopped at the realization and looked behind me. Ness was halfway back, talking on his receiver phone. I didn't even hear the damn thing ring…

Though I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying at the time, I was a bit surprised when Ness finally did lay his eyes on me, in a way I wouldn't expected him to. _He looked almost horrified…_

_"Oh… really? Well… whenever you do get the chance… could you-"_ Whoever was on the phone seemed to hang up on him. Ness shook his head and walked up passed me.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Nothing important, let's just get out of here…" Ness spoke in a monotone voice, almost immediately. I shook my head.

"I didn't ask _what_, I asked _who-"_

"Please Jeff… just leave me alone right now…" He said without looking at me. I paused for a moment.

And with that, I said nothing more to him as we all piled into the band's black van.

….

---

Nighttime soon approached us after an evening of pointless chit chat with the gang. We all sat in the open part, in the back of the van were there wasn't any seats. Picky and I sat across from Ness and Paula and the rest of the gang hung around more towards the front of the van. It was more of the case where the gang spoke and the four of us listened in. We all got fast food along the way to fill our stomachs, though Ness barely ate half of his burger and fries. Hell, even Paula was hungrier than him and she was stuck up in that building for what seemed like days with those freaks. Picky eventually ate the rest of what Ness didn't eat. I managed to eat most of my food, after offering some to Ness whom was still speechless and dead as usual. It was getting to the point where I was honestly annoyed. I wasn't sure if I wanted to admit why though…

Eventually through the ride we all fell asleep. We were exhausted and this was the kind of break we all wished for. Ness and Paula were the first ones to fall asleep, as the leaned heads on each other. Did I have to repeat how seemingly unrealistically peaceful they looked? Picky was third to go as I looked through the high van window, where the moon gleamed back down onto my frail face. When I imagined cows jumping over it, I knew I was starting to drift off myself.

_One cow, two cows, three cows jumping over the moon… _ The sound of one of my mother's lullaby made me finally put all my troubles to rest.

---

_"Gaaaah!"_ I yelped as someone splashed me in the face with cold, icy cola. When I opened my eyes, it was still dark and the van's back doors were swung open.

"Wake up, we're here," Picky snickered casually. I wiped my glasses while attempting to glare up at him.

"What was _that_ about? Couldn't you just given my shoulder a shake or something?" I growled at him. Picky smirked.

"Naw, this was more amusing. Now stop whining and let's go," He said stepping out of the van. My jaw was dropped slightly out of pure frustration. I rolled my eyes, got my bag and slid out of the van. Ness and Paula looked like walking zombies, standing next to each other holding hands.

"Got him up," Picky told Ness; who was soon interrupted by Lucky.

"Now you four kids take care now… get some shut eye. You need some cash to get you through the night?" He asked. Ness shook his head.

"We'll be alright," Ness replied. Lucky's smile faded as he looked at Ness and Paula.

"Are you sure that's it then…? I'm not sure when we'll be meeting again kid," Ness was unresponsive, but Paula soon spoke up.

"We'll be alright, we promise," She smiled rubbing her eyes. Lucky looked at both me and Picky. He seemed sure, but soon he complied.

"Well… if you kids say so… take care now. Stay out of trouble," He said as he walked into the van. We watched them drive off before descending into the hotel, where Ness would be paying loads in cash for the night.

---

The hotel manager was very skeptical of us four kids coming in to spend the night at around 1:30 at night, but the fact that Ness paid the money made the manager shake his head and give us a room key. We were at the same hotel that we stayed at the first night I joined Ness and Paula, but we received a different room this time. And once we entered the room, Ness immediately plopped down onto one of the mattresses and groaned. Paula rummaged through her bag, which Ness had been carrying for her this entire time to find her night gown and immediately departed into the bathroom to change. I sat down on the other bed.

"Wait a second, there's two beds, so who's gonna sleep with who?" Picky asked. It was then that the horrid truth came to mind. I cringed slightly at the expected outcome of all this. Ness mumbled in his pillow and it was almost impossible to decipher what he said.

"What?" Picky asked. Ness turned his head.

"Paula and I are sleeping in this bed. You'll have to share the bed with Jeff tonight," Ness said. Picky frowned.

"I have to sleep in the same bed with four eyes here?" He asked. Something in my brain snapped and I almost bickered back at his response.

_"By Newton's name if you call me four eyes again, I'll…"_ Picky snickered.

"You'll do what, quiz me? On what your _fa-"_

_"Picky, please stop…"_ Ness said sitting up. I growled.

"Can't Paula and I share a bed for one night?" I asked Ness, seeing that he definitely wouldn't let Picky and Paula sleep in the same bed together. However the look that Ness gave me made me want to change my mind. He was exhausted, pained and sad and the last thing he needed was for us to bicker.

"Just for one night Jeff… _please?"_ Ness almost begged under a shrill voice. It took a moment, but I finally sighed in defeat. Flaring up my nostrils while looking over to Picky, who had already claimed his side of the bed I got my bag to fish out my pajamas.

"I'm taking a shower…" I spoke under my breath as Paula walked out of the bathroom, as I immediately claimed it as my own.

_"Gah that Jeff kid is always grumpy…"_ I heard Picky say through the door.

"Just leave him be Picky…" I heard Paula say. I sighed as I stripped for my shower.

---

After washing down my head with both boiling lava hot and arctic cold, frosty water, I dried myself off and got dressed. Wiping off the fog from the mirror and my glasses, I sighed when I looked at myself again in the mirror and shook my head. After I prepared myself for sleep, I stepped out of the fogy room.

It was as if the whole scenario was repeating itself again. Paula was sleeping like a log under the covers with Mr. Ziggy, and Picky lied on his back with his arms crossed behind his head with closed eyes. He didn't even seem to change into any pajamas either. However, to both my surprise and my assumption, Ness was nowhere to be found in the room. Even the door was open to our room, which I also found weird in particular, remembering how protective he was with Paula. Maybe he figured that I was gonna be out soon? I frowned as I sat on the bed, trying hard not to disturb Picky, though I wasn't sure if he was awake or not. I rubbed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair. I sat for a moment, waiting for Ness to return back into the room. It was about five minutes I waited there, yet he did not return. I sighed in annoyance and stood up to see what was going on this time.

Finding my way down to the lobby again, the manager looked like he was falling asleep on the desk. The phone that was previously there didn't seem to be present. I took the time to look around when I soon found the answer sitting over in the nearby lounge holding the phone in his lap and twirling the phone cord with his finger.

_"I'm sorry for calling you late at night again mom…"_ Ness spoke weakly into the receiver. For some reason, like last time, I didn't want him to know I was eavesdropping again, so I looked franticly around me until I decided to just duck behind the counter. _What was he doing calling his mom in the middle of the night?_ I thought to myself.

_"Me? _I'm… I'm alright… I just miss you is all," Ness spoke. I sat on the floor for what felt like minutes, drawing my knees to my chest while I listened to him on the phone.

"Paula's fine… Jeff? He's doing ok too I think… Mom? I… I wanna come back to visit… even if it's just for a moment…" I took a moment to ponder this. Would we come along too?

"If it's alright… may I bring my Paula and Jeff along too? Oh, I also ran into Picky, so I have to help him get home anyways… okay that sounds wonderful… yes mom, I'm sure that I'm fine… I just want to see Tracy, King and you again in person, is all…" He said.

"Ok… I love you mom… _bye… bye,"_ He spoke finally hanging up the phone. I sighed.

_"Jeff I know you're in here,"_ Ness spoke out. Right then I was sure that my heart skipped a beat.

"Uhhhh…" I heard Ness's footsteps approach the counter as he must have place the telephone back on the counter where it belonged.

"_Eavesdropping on me again, are we?_" Ness said as he found me around the counter, slightly smirking when he found my crouched form against the counter. I curved my mouth down at him.

"Well what was up with leaving our hotel room in the middle of the night like that? I couldn't just assume that you'd come back after all we went through in Fourside, sheesh," I replied. Ness and I waited there for a moment until a small smile formed on his lips.

"Let's just go to bed…" He said handing out his hand to me. I looked at his hand.

"You still didn't tell me who called you before,"- Ness seemed to ignore that question by simply grabbing my hand and attempting to drag me up on my feet. However, for once I resisted.

"Let's go to bed, you're sleepy," Ness said. However, I grounded myself to where I would stay put. By this time, Ness was literally trying to drag me by force, but I still stayed crunched on the floor.

_"Tell meeee," _I said.

_"In the morning, I'm tiiired,"_ Ness whined.

"Why not noooow?" I asked.

_"Jeeeff it's like 2 in the morning!"_ Ness groaned.

"Well _you're_ the one that decided it was a good idea to call your mom down here in the middle of the night," I replied.

"But I thought you were _sleeeepy_ enough to not come down here," Ness replied. By how he was trying to desperately drag me back up on my feet let me know that he wasn't going to let up so easy. And by judging the look in his eyes, he really needed the sleep. Hell, I was exhausted myself from today's troubles. I finally sighed in another defeat.

_"Fine, let's go to bed…"_ I said. "But you better tell me tomorrow, alright?" I said. Ness again, seemed to ignore me as he helped me to my feet.

"Good, I'm exhausted…" He yawned. "Let's go back to the room…"

---

"So you really are that Paula that I've heard about from Twoson?" We heard Picky say as we walked into the room.

"Yeah…" Paula replied.

"Why didn't you say anything before? You could have gotten someone like the SWAT team involved in that you know," Picky chuckled. Paula 'hmmed'

"That would have been something fun to see," Picky snickered.

"Well I'm happy that it didn't turn out any bigger than it did, that would have made my Dad panic," She replied.

"You guys are awake still?" Ness said as we walked into the room.

"Well you two were goofing off and we weren't really asleep yet," Picky replied. I gave Picky a suspicious look. Ness sighed.

"I just needed to make a phone call…"

"You called your mom?" Picky assumed smirking. Ness looked a bit embarrassed.

"… At least I can talk to her without being creped out, unlike _your _mom," Ness said back. Paula giggled from the comeback and I couldn't help but chuckle myself, though I wasn't sure why; maybe it was the way that Picky reacted.

"Well… _true…_" Picky replied. "But at least I,"- Ness snorted and cut him off.

"Your mom's a murderer," Ness said. Paula gasped.

"What? _No she isn't,"_ Picky snorted back. Ness leered at him.

"Your mom goes _smash_ when she sees an innocent talking fly; she's like the hulk but more frightening… _poor buzz buzz,"_ Ness faked tears.

"Oh no, poor buzz buzz…" Paula spoke. I tried concealing my laugh at the ridiculous name of 'buzz buzz.' Picky looked very bothered, but for some reason, he might have been used to that treatment.

"Well I'm not insane enough to talk to a fly," Picky stated. Ness smiled at him as he slipped into his bed.

"You're right, you're not," He said. "Now enough of this, I'm tired…" Ness said. Paula kept giggling while Picky looked annoyed. I couldn't help but snicker as I slipped into bed.

_"Quit it,"_ Picky told me. I sighed in contentment.

"Just go to sleep, Picky," I told him.

---

We woke up around ten in the morning, Picky and Paula of course being the first ones to wake up; _dang kids and their energy…_ I thought. We all had breakfast in our rooms and while Ness and Picky were casually going about eating and getting ready, Paula was patiently and quietly sitting in one of the chairs, as if she was awaiting something patiently.

"You alright, Paula?" I asked. Paula however didn't even seem to pay attention. I frowned and waved my hand in front of her face. Paula drifted her eyes to me.

"Oh… sorry, I was just thinking that's all," She told me. I sat down on the bed across from her.

"Is there something you care to talk about then?" I asked her. Paula shook her head.

"No… it's not that, I'm just trying to figure out where we're supposed to go next is all," She smiled.

"Do you know?" I asked.

"… Sort of. For some reason, I believe we have to go back to where we first met though… that's the place that keeps popping up into my mind at least," She told me.

"The… you mean that underground room where I crashed… why would we have to go there?" I said. Paula shrugged her shoulders.

"Just trust me on this one… I feel like that's the right way to go," She said. I still wasn't sure why we'd have to go to a place like that, considering it was a dead end and that sky runner was already wrecked…

…_ Wasn't it?_

"Are you guys ready?" Ness asked us.

"Yeah, we're ready," Paula replied. Ness sighed.

"Alright, where to?" Ness asked.

"Back to where we met Jeff… I just know that's where we have to go," She replied. Ness nodded without even thinking about it. He must have truly trusted her then, I thought.

"Alright, as soon as Picky is ready, we'll take off," Ness told us. I butted in.

"Wait, I thought Picky was gonna go his separate way at this point?" I asked. Ness shrugged.

"He will, don't worry," He replied as he took Paula's hand. "Let's go."

---

It took about fifteen minutes for us all to reach Threed's cemetery. The sky was gray but there was no rain or snow coming down. When we found the stair case that lead below the cemetery, Picky stopped. The hole I crashed down on seemed to be covered with 'caution' ribbons, which made me suspicious of what was going on.

"Are you sure about this?" Picky asked. "I just need to go back to Onett, not travel with you guys," He said. Ness and Paula already started climbing down the stairs.

"Like I said Picky, I'll take you there myself," Ness said.

"And how are you gonna do that?" Picky asked. I climbed down after them.

"Just come along, Picky," I told him. Picky eventually shrugged and climbed down along with us.

When we passed by another man, that was when I was getting suspicious even more. And when we opened the door, I was sure that my heart flipped with what we saw. I was sure the rest of them had the same reaction.

The Sky runner looked as if it was refurbished and worked on since we left Threed. There looked to be a couple of local scientists studying and rebuilding the structure.

"What the heck is that?" Picky asked. My jaw was dropped.

"Hmm… there's no doubt about it… _this is one of Dr. Andonut's creations,"_ One of the men said looking at a book and observing the structure. He seemed to be wearing a long white lab coat and an orange turtle neck sweater underneath. Come to think of it… the man looked strangely familiar. While some were observing, others were actually manually working on the sky runner.

"They're re building it?" Ness questioned me. I narrowed my eyes. _Was I supposed to fly us to Summers myself with this?_ I walked up.

"Hey, what's going on here?" I asked. The young gentleman looked at me in confusion and straightened his glasses.

"Sorry, this area is off limits to locals. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. A kid like you wouldn't know what to do with such high quality work anyways," He told me as if he knew _everything_. Feeling infuriated, I dug through my bag for my ID.

"_Well_… if you look right _here_, I hope you can _recognize_ that I'm not just some ordinary kid getting into trouble," I spoke to him in the calmest tone possible. He adjusted his glasses as he looked at my ID. When I was sure that something registered in his mind when he saw my name, he gave me a skeptical, almost glaring look.

"Snow wood Boarding school, eh? I used to go there myself when I discovered I wanted to get a scientific degree," The man said as he observed my passive, almost annoyed face. He darted his eyes towards Ness and the others. He sighed, dangling my ID in front of his eyes.

"Jeffery Andonuts has been one of the most wanted missing persons in the entire world. It's hard to believe, even with an ID of proof that you are really Andonut's son. Though if the rumors are true that you've been up in Winters… and it does seem suspicious that a person like you with this particular ID happens to roll around here when one of Andonut's private inventions happen to be lying here in its destructed condition…" He rambled on. I gave him a cold look.

_"And what of it…_ I was the one that flew this here, no one gave you guys any permission to mess with the sky runner," I told him. There was a tense silence between the two of us. He smirked evilly at me. _Just who the hell was this guy?_

"You know, I could report you to secret witness… and if you really are him, you wouldn't want that would you?" He said. I kept glaring at him.

"Let me see the sky runner… I might be able to fix it," I told him. It took him a moment to decide what to do. He shrugged chuckling to himself.

"Alright, fine, have fun trying to even get to the machine. If you really are his son, you should do just fine… or at least can figure out what the problem with it is," He said as he dropped my ID and walked off, giving Ness and co. a strange sinister look. I snarled and snatched up my ID.

_"Huh, if he even dares to report me, I'll blast his head off_," I swore under my teeth. Ness walked up to me.

"That's odd… what's that Orange Kid doing here?" Paula spoke out loud watching the man leave.

"He doesn't look like a kid to me, he looks to be a grown man," Picky said as they walked up to me.

"So what are we to do?" Ness asked me. "I'm assuming that…" I sighed and ruffled my hair.

"I'm gonna have to give the machine a look. I'm hoping that they've figured out how to work the damn thing so maybe I won't be needing to do too much to it. Let's just hope that it can get us to Summers," I said as I approached the machine with what little knowledge and tools I really had.

Surprisingly, the other two men that were working on the machine didn't seem to have any problem with me working with them. And while there was a lot of interior work repaired in the machine, there were still many things, especially key important details that would make the sky runner lack in performance, especially with endurance. The way the sky runner looked, it seemed like it was enough to last at least an hour or two, before something else would break and cause the entire thing to go haywire. And what was horrible was that after two hours, still none of us could figure out how to solve the problem. My head started to ache as I caressed it with my hand. I growled.

"Do you think Dr. Andonuts could figure out what was wrong with it?" One of the men asked me.

"Well yeah, I'm sure since he was the one who _built _the dang thing. Maybe… take it back to him to see what he could do with it?" The other said. My eyes widened in horror but also in undeniable cringing truth. I slammed my fist on the ground then rested my head in my palms.

"_Damn it, I don't want to go back to him… especially if it means if I have to crawl back and kiss his ass for help…"_ I grumbled into my hands. I wasn't sure if the other two men could tell what I had just said, but in all honestly, I could have cared less. No other time had I felt so inhumanly pathetic than then.

"Is it gonna take us to Summers?" Ness asked me. I growled and was silent.

"Jeff?"

"… There's no other way is there? Ness, do you think you could teleport us to Summers?" I asked him. The other two men were probably puzzled at my choice of words. Ness 'hmmed' with a disappointed voice.

"I don't even know where Summers is…" He said. I growled in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Ness asked. I rubbed my temples.

"_Then there's no other way… we have to go back to Winters_…" I told him.

"Wait, isn't that where you came from?" Ness asked. I sighed.

"He's the only one that can fix the damn thing. If we need this to take us there then we need him to repair it so we can make it there," I said.

"But… how are we gonna get the machine back to Winters so he can fix it?" Ness asked.

"How else?"

"…"

"Hmph, we'll have to fly it there… It only takes about forty five minutes or so to get there with this thing… that should be enough time for it to last the entire trip…"

"So why are you so-" Ness stopped in mid sentence when he remembered who _he_ was.

"I'll… lemme get Paula and Picky," He said as he walked away. I stood up.

"So wait, you're just gonna run off with this thing without asking anyone any permission?" One of the men said. I looked them in the eye.

"You guys should be asking _me_ before you go fixing this thing. I was the one that flew it here. Plus I don't think you two have any idea where my father resides anyways," I said. They seemed to eye each other suspiciously.

"Orangey ain't gonna like this… he isn't gonna like this one bit," One of them said.

"I could care less what that guy thinks-" One of the men's cell phones rung.

"Yeah? Alright, we'll be up there in just a moment," They spoke.

"Well… I guess if you can get the thing flying, then I guess it's yours kid," He said. "We have to go right now, so don't cause too much trouble," The other said as they walked out.

"Alright, well thanks for doing what you two could do," I told them as they headed out. By the time they left, the mat that covered the hole in the roof of the underground room was unveiled and Picky poked his head over along with Paula and Ness.

"We uncovered the hole for you Jeff," Paula said.

"But are you sure that this is even a good idea? The people here are getting suspicious you know!" Picky said.

"Well find out I guess…" I told him with a sloppy smile. I looked to Paula, who smiled at me.

"If this is in my visions, I know that we'll be just fine Jeff. I'm sure this is the right thing to do," She told me. When I looked to Ness, I wasn't sure what to expect from him because the look he gave me was blank. It took him a moment to finally smile and say, "Let's get going then"

---

"Ness, why am I still coming along?" Picky asked him.

"Yeah Picky, why _are_ you still coming along?" I questioned as they approached the room.

"Quiet, four eyes," He said. I cracked my jaw.

"Like I said Picky, I'll get you there myself," Ness told him with a crooked smile.

"Why not now?" Picky asked.

"Why not later?" Ness replied chuckling to himself.

"Why not _back then_?" I said.

"Quiet, four-"

"_Shut up_, Cyclops," I snapped back. "If you act like you're not even here, things will go smoothly," I said. I was surprised that Picky didn't say anything back, except flip his blond hair out of his eyes.

"Jeff, he's not as bad as you think, so be nice," Paula said.

"_No."_

"_Jeeeff,"_ Ness groaned in frustration.

"Fine."

"I don't mind traveling around for another day with you guys," Picky said smirking. I inwardly cringed.

When all three of them stood in front of the sky runner, they waited as I climbed into the machine, where I had found the key I had oh so mistakenly left there.

"Let me just see if this'll work," I told them in a nervous tone. I brace myself for something to blow up, really when I turned the key. But by judging the components, nothing like that would have happened… right? I turned the key and sure enough the machine turned on like usual. However, it shook more than it was supposed to, which was expected of it. Most of the dials seemed to be in working condition, but I turned off all of the unnecessary ones just to save power for the entire thing. I sighed. _Do I even remember my way back there?_ I thought to myself.

"Alright you guys… get in," I said. And when all three of them piled into the sky runner, I could feel my heart pounding. _What if we weren't gonna make it there?_ I gulped.

"Well… here goes nothing I guess…" I spoke as I turned on the ignition. When the structure lifted from the ground, it shook violently, moreso than the first time I used it. I made sure that it got safely out of the hole until I made it go anywhere.

"Are you sure this is the right thing Paula? Jeff?" Ness asked with a nervous tone.

"Jeff can do it, can't you?" Paula spoke with confidence.

"Huh, you better be right," Picky said. I bit my lip.

"Just hang on… I got it," I spoke without confidence. The thing was I didn't realize my breath caught up and by the time we were higher and higher in the sky, I felt a hand rest on my shoulders.

"Well be alright, don't worry… if anyone can get us there, it's you," Ness said with a smile. I nodded slowly.

"Okay… well here goes nothing... again…" I spoke before I made the miniature machine take flight out of Threed…

_… to a place I dreaded to go to._

---

For the most part, the trip there went better than I thought. While the craft did make strange noises and shook a couple of times, we were able to travel over the lands we previously went through. I was still puzzled and annoyed why Picky was still here, gawking at the scenery with Ness and Paula. But I suppose if he wasn't as bad as his older brother… Passing over Fourside brought back unwanted memories of both Moonside and everything else. I was sure that it brought up bad memories with everyone else too.

Yet we still needed to go back… according to Ness.

"Wooow look at those mountains…" Paula said as we approached the snowy mountains of Winters. It was around this time when the hover craft started to rumble again and soon enough a red light started flashing on and off.

_"Shit, don't die on me now!"_ I swore with my teeth clenched as I tried maneuvering the steering wheel upwards.

"What's happening?" Ness asked.

"It's running low on something, or something is letting up. We should make it though… I hope…" I said feeling my face turn blue as I felt the sky runner make a sudden jolt forward. Paula gasped. Yet again, the sky runner jolted.

"Hold on…" I spoke calmly as I scanned my eyes around the snowy hills. There were many small urban villages. Eventually, Paula pointed.

"Look there's a body of water of some sort," Paula said. I sighed.

"That's Lake Tess… it means we're almost there…"

And then sooner than I thought… sooner than maybe I wanted, I spotted the lab. While I was relieved that we could land the thing, my heart started pounding again at the dread to come.

"We're here, just hang on…" I said as I tried steadying the hover craft to a slow halt. Circling around the lab, I noticed soon enough that the roof that he had opened for me last time was closed. I tried steering the UFO around the side of the building in the snow. Soon enough, the craft rumbled as we touched the ground. Once we were secure on the ground, I immediately turned the engine off and threw my head down on the command center in exhaustion.

"See, I knew you could get us here Jeff!" Paula spoke.

"Yeah, see? Everything turned just fine," Ness added. I let off a strangled sigh.

"I'm just surprised that you two were more hopeful and enthusiastic about this than I was…" I added. On the corner of my eye, I saw Picky look out the window.

"Your _dad_ lives here? Besides, how far out are we?" He added. I lifted my head, almost bumping my head in the process.

"Pretty far actually. You insisted to come along, didn't you?" I asked Picky.

"Yeah, sort of…" Picky said. "… Your dad makes the weirdest inventions…" He said. I tried not spilling out any more hatred.

"Enough about him. Let's just get out of this metal shell and get this over with.

_I just knew that I was going to hate this…_

---

All four of us stood in front of the door way. The sky was especially cloudy and it started snowing soft steady flakes again. I sighed, ringing the door bell for the third time.

"Is he home?" Paula asked.

"I don't see why he wouldn't be here… the lights are on inside, aren't they?" I said.

"Maybe knocking?" Ness asked thinking that the door bell was broken.

"No, I hear it…" I said, putting my ear up to the door right when I felt the thing open up slowly. I stood up straight in a frantic panic as the door opened up. All three of them gasped as the one that opened the door happened to be one of those 7 foot giant cave men instead.

"Woah holy, what is that?" Picky questioned. "It's… _freaking huge_!" My breath shook.

"He said he was friendly the last time I was here… he shouldn't hurt us…" Yet I could still feel goose bumps crawling up my back as it extended its reach out to us with its long, hairy rock hard arm, holding what looked to be beef jerky. The strange ape man tilted his head.

"No… no thanks, I'm good…" I said waving my hands in front of me. The man grunted as it handed its jerky out towards Paula, who also declined, then Ness and Picky. Eventually the man gave up and gestured us into the lab. All four of us cluttered together closely as we passed the giant and it was around this timing that we saw two monkeys fly down the stairs and out the door, one of them having a bow tie around their necks. And for a moment, we just stood in the lab, looking around for any sign for a man in a white lab coat.

"Are you sure he's here?" Picky asked again. I walked to the stairs to look up.

"He has to be here…" I replied.

"Maybe splitting up?" Ness mentioned. I frowned.

"Fine, just don't go too far from the lab," I said as I made my way up stairs.

Out of all the rooms, the old hoot was nowhere to be found and while I enjoyed every last minute of not seeing his face, I was starting to feel troubled. I sighed in anger as I even checked the bathroom, which even there was littered in papers and donut boxes. I shook my head.

"Dr. Andonuts, are you here?" I shouted. However, there was no reply. When I got back downstairs I sighed. There was something weird swelling up in my chest then, but I wasn't sure what it was…

"Hey Jeff, come out here for a second," Picky said calling through the door. I bit my lip slightly as I replied, "Kay."

Making my way outside again, I found Picky waiting for me.

"They're over here," He said gesturing me to come along with him. I complied wordlessly. When we walked back over to where we landed the sky runner, I could have sworn my heart stopped for a moment.

Dr. Andonuts was examining the machine while speaking to Ness and Paula. Still, it was so strange to hear that same voice from all those years ago, aged to the way it was now.

"Jeff, can you help me lift the sky runner up right for me a second?" It was a bit perplexing that he didn't bother to say hello, nonetheless even look at any of us. I grunted grumpily.

"You three could help if you'd like, it would be very much appreciated," He spoke. All of us attempted lifting the machine enough to where it would be supported with both legs. However, gripping the snow covered metal was like touching pure ice in the process and once it was up right, I could barely feel the tips of my fingers.

"There we go… I'm surprised that you even came back… of course along with your friends too…" He spoke calmly smiling at us.

"Please, let me introduce-"

_"Ness, Paula… _I'm not sure what your name is though…" He smiled pointing to Picky.

"Picky," Picky said while Ness and Paula looked at each other in shock.

"Ahh…" He finally rested his eyes on me and while he took a moment to soak the reunion in a bit, I glanced to the side stubbornly.

"_Jeff…_ my son…" He spoke in a low tone. My eyes finally drifted towards him, just barely. I wasn't sure what my facial expression was like, but I could only guess it was a mixture of embarrassment, shyness and rage.

"Mhmmm… and it seems you've managed to lose some weight since the last time I saw you," He chuckled bringing his hand to caress his chin. My jaw dropped.

"_Hey…"_ I spoke stubbornly as Ness, Paula and Picky started chuckling.

"Ahh excuse me, I must introduce myself; I am the Frizzy Doctor Andonuts, as you may have guessed if any of you ever read my books. Perhaps we should go inside and have a cup of coffee or tea. You must be freezing young lady," He spoke, referring to Paula's skirt.

"Oh, well that would be very kind of you, thank you very much," She smiled as he gestured all of us inside with a calm smile.

---

"So you four must have come a long way to get where you are now," He said. "How has it been so far?" Dr. Andonuts asked as we all sat around a round table with coffee, tea and a box of donuts. The others had a bit of their share, but I had none.

"It's been okay… at least we've accomplished some things," Ness said. Dr. Andonuts smiled.

"Did my son Jeff make it to you safely?" He said.

"Yes, he was okay once he arrived, but the sky runner wasn't…" Ness tried not to chuckle. My face flushed slightly as I gave Ness a small glare.

"Is that so?" He said glancing towards me. I looked away stubbornly.

"I remember a time when he used to wet the bed… I'd have to stay up with him until he got over it and sleep again," He spoke casually. I dropped my jaw as the other three started to snicker slightly. Before I could say anything, Ness spoke sooner. Maybe he was keeping me from saying anything rash.

"May I ask… how did you know our names?" Ness asked him. I didn't miss how Dr. Andonuts paused, just for a brief moment. It was very suspicious, how he sighed and took another sip of his coffee.

"I received a letter the other day… from a young man that goes by the name Apple Kid. Preferably, he's interested in becoming my apprentice." Ness seemed to glance at me nervously. _Did it have to do with the phone call he received?_

"I'm still not sure whether to accept him though; I haven't made very much public contact in a while…"

"Why so?" I asked. Andonuts looked at me for a moment and drifted his eyes to the table. It was a clear sign… but of what?

"I like it out here… it's quiet and peaceful… and it's also helped me think more clearly as well as the cold temperature. I'm not a very social fellow though I guess the character I've portrayed in my works have differed from that. I'd like to know… what brought you four here in the first place? Does the sky runner need fixing?" He asked. Ness nodded.

"Yes… we need it to reach a city named Summers. However, Jeff and a couple other men alone couldn't find out what the problem was…" Ness gestured me to continue. I shook my head slightly.

"There's a lot of missing and damaged interior work. We could only make the sky runner last for a few hours, so we decided that coming here was the best and quickest bet in order to reach Summers. Or moreso, it was Paula who predicted that this was the right way to come," I explained crossing my arms and closing my eyes. Dr. Andonuts grunted in reply.

"Very well…" He replied.

"It would be very appreciated if you did that for us," Paula added. And it was at this precise moment that Mr. Ziggy had popped out from her bag. When Dr. Andonuts caught sight of the being, all of us were prepared for his reaction. His eyebrows popped up.

"And why does there happen to be a Mr. Saturn in your lap?" Dr. Andonuts asked. Paula pondered a bit; she seemed a bit nervous for the explanation. I gave Andonuts a small glare. He just might have caught my cue.

"Mr. Saturn is a very intelligent, peculiar creature. They live and cope without violence. However, they do lack in a sense of communication however and sometimes their short term memory is a bit off. But in other ways, their intelligence exceeds our own."

"How did you know about them?" Ness asked.

"Mr. Saturn has been a rumored creature for years, but alas it's only been a myth to the common man, much like the case with big foot. But after researching a bit on my next invention, I theorized that a creature such as that could be possible and then finding a few of them around the Stone Hedge, I was able to study their habits and life style. It's one of the many joys of living away from public. Now… while I fix the sky runner for you four, try to make yourselves at home, without touching everything of course. I apologize if my lab has been lacking… a bit of a woman's touch," He spoke rubbing the back of his head. My heart constricted as I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Is there anything we could offer you sir?" Paula asked politely. I raised my eyebrow at her.

"No no no, that won't be optional. If getting to Summers is an urgent matter for your four, than it must be fixed as soon as possible. However, it might take longer than a day or two for it to be fixed and properly flying again," He smiled. Ness's eyes lit up.

"Only two days?" Ness asked. Dr. Andonuts smiled.

"While you wait, you might want to explore this area a little bit. There's something especially about Stone Hedge that might interest you, Ness. Yes… I think something here will be of good importance to you, I can just tell," He said, glancing from Ness to each and every one of us… _especially me _though I hated to admit it.

"Can you tell us what direction?" Ness asked. Dr. Andonuts nodded as he took a sip of his coffee again.

"Ah yes… if you go out the front door to your right, there should be a stone path. Just follow that for a little bit and then you'll cut through some woods. Have you seen a couple of chimps around here? If you can get them to lead you there that would be wonderful. And in the time being, you can come and go as you please. I'll be down in my basement for the time being," He spoke, grabbing a couple of donuts and his mug of coffee and took off at his old pace down to his work area. I stared coldly at his back.

"Come on Jeff, let's go check Stone Hedge out," Ness said. However, my mind was somewhere far away at the time.

---

"So… are you coming along?" Ness asked me as we stood by the door. Paula and Picky had already waited outside. I glanced behind me and sighed. Ness could probably guess what was on my mind.

"… You three can go investigate without me if you'd like," I replied. Ness nodded, but I could tell that he was disappointed by my answer.

"Are you sure you'll be fine here by yourself?" Ness asked.

"Yeah…" I flashed him a smile. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, just take care of yourselves and get done what needs to be done," I told him. Ness smiled, but there was a hint of sadness behind it.

"You'll be fine, I've seen it myself," I said. Ness nodded.

"Well… if you say so," He said. "I guess we'll see you later then," He said as he walked out the door.

"Bye Ness," I said back. A small chill crawled down my spine. _Now it was my turn to exhale nervously._ I realized, almost instantly, that I would have much rather joined along with them. I turned around to scan my eyes around the lab. The morbidly large cave man must have been outside… doing what was beyond me. Though technically outside must have been colder, the cold temperature that loomed inside the lab was different. And when I looked around the room more, I started to discover why. There was a sense of gloom and depression looming in the air and the messy boxes, tools, books, papers and appliances made it look like there was no order. Yet it seemed so silent… It was almost ironic.

While I remembered the books sprawled everywhere, there seemed to be more this time and this time it really looked like a tornado came about and caused havoc to the place. The more I looked around at the many books, the more I felt drawn in. And I hated every minute of it.

It was hard to believe that someone I felt so much rage towards shared the very same interest as my own. It's just in the sense that I never wanted to see his face again. And the… _no_, I told myself. _Don't get yourself angry over something as silly as that…_

The first book I had found had been written by someone that must have lived beyond even my own father's time. I became curious, sure that my father wrote his own books, but…

I searched the room for any signs of books that were written, specifically by him alone. It took maybe around twenty minutes or so to find only three books. And as I suspected, all three books had said, _"Written by the Frizzy Doc Andonuts."_ When I looked in the about the author section, they were all the same saying as little as "Dr. Andonuts resides in California and works on new findings and discoveries." That was it. And when I searched through the entire books, there was no other additional information of his background anywhere. It was the same as all the text books in school that were written by him as well as the books I had in my hands. It was always on the back of my mind, but this was the first time I had actually had to run the question through my head…

_Why was he known as the 'Frizzy Doc Andonuts?'_

… and why was I known… simply as _Jeff Andonuts_?

_"Smile for your father…"_

_"Heard more from the Doc recently?"_

_"You'll be the next Frizzy Doc Andonuts, Jeff."_

_"Still haven't heard a word from the Doc after all these years? What a shame…"_ I threw one of his books at the ground in disgust. However, something stopped my heart from beating, almost instantly when I saw the contents spill out of the pages of his book. Though most of them were just meaningless notes, one of them looked to be a laminated, white sheet; the size of a photograph. I carefully picked up the small parchment, wincing as I flipped it over.

_It was the same photo I had seen all those years ago… all three of us together, smiling. _

_A perfectly, happy family…_

I was a bit chubbier in my youth, but I guess all kids were when they still had their baby fat at the age of three. The Doc was not only younger and healthier, but he just seemed much happier and sane. And of course, I could marvel once again at my beautiful fair mother. I studied the look on my face; pure bliss and joy… a feeling I haven't felt since…

A familiar melody caught my attention just then from the distance. The more I listened to the melody, the more I thought to myself… _didn't my mother sing this song by heart?_

I placed the photo down on the counter and followed the melody downstairs…

---

The door was cracked open, but I was still scared to barge in. I could definitely hear someone's movements however and coughs coming from the same room. It was just like the way I remembered he would always shut himself away from the world.

_… Maybe in that sense, we weren't all that different._ I took a deep breath. _What would happen?_ I opened the door.

The first thing I noticed were papers, piles and piles or papers, documents, files, projects everywhere, piled on top of each other. It didn't really matter what the mess was made of, it was just a catastrophe. I was startled when I heard one's familiar voice speak.

"I heard that you kids traveled to Fourside," He said suddenly. My heart skipped a beat as I twirled around quickly. My eyes looked around until they landed on my father's form. He was slouched down, rummaging through a few of his stacks of papers. "Now where did I put that…" He muttered to himself. I wasn't sure of what to say.

"How would you know that we went to Fourside?" Though I thought, that was probably a really stupid question, I was sure that bastard Pokey spread the word throughout the world that we were there crashing his party.

"Oh… I just know these things…" He spoke back. I frowned.

"Sure you do… like you've always had," I spoke with a sarcastic undertone in my voice. My father slightly turned his head towards me.

"Enough of what I know… I'd like to hear how my son's been doing all these years… how was school before you left?" Dr. Andonuts asked me. _How could he… just change the subject on me like that,_ I thought.

"… Well enough to go into Rocketry when I grow up…" I replied honestly. My father took a moment to look at me again as he nodded. _The way he looked at me was starting to weird me out… _I thought. Suddenly, he removed his eyes from mine.

"Rocketry? So… have you built your own bottle rocket yet?" He asked, a small settle smile forming on his lips.

"Yes… I have. Me and my science teacher built one together when I was seven years old," I replied. "Honestly, my science teacher, Maxwell helped me a lot in school and we worked on a lot of things together that most of the other kids in school never got affiliated with," I told him. Dr. Andonuts scanned his tables until he had found his mug.

"Dr. Maxwell you say? I've heard he's done some good work up at the academy," He said.

"Yes, he has…" I told him.

"So… is science your subject of choice then?" He asked. I didn't like to admit it… but it was. And I frowned because of it.

"Yeah… it is," I said. He gave off a soft laugh.

"And so I've heard of rumors of a boy like you up in school around the village bringing the statistics up in the school's value altogether…" I frowned especially at this. And I was sure he knew exactly why.

"Well… it's good to know that you've been keeping up well in your classes in school, son," He spoke. I snarled.

"Been ahead in most of them…" I replied. Andonuts chuckled.

"Well… is there anything you're having difficulty understanding in your classes then?" He asked. Maybe he didn't intend this question in the way that I perceived it.

"It's a little too late for you to be asking that isn't it?" I said. Dr. Andonuts paused. And after that… _nothing._ Eventually, I did speak up.

"Well… since you've asked… I do have one question," I said. Dr. Andonuts picked up a pile of papers and plopped them down on a nearby counter.

"And what would that be?" He replied in a slightly different tone.

"Well… how come… in all of your books… or any literature that mentions you…how come none of them list your real name?" I asked. Dr. Andonuts paused.

"Don't say that some of the textbooks you students have been using were written by me… were they?" He spoke in a softer tone, taking another sip of his coffee, then taking a bit out of his donut. "Those silly books are almost a decade old, they're no good…" He chuckled.

"Well apparently the school seems to find them still useful…"

"And did you read any of them?" He finally asked. I froze in place. For once, I felt like punching myself in the face for the actual truth.

"… Maxwell and I… used your diagram of a bottle rocket. And some of the other students there even pretend it's their bible…" I said turning my head the other way in embarrassment and disgust. Andonuts looked at me again. And when I was sure he wasn't going to turn away, finally I lay my eyes on him. He took another moment to try to find the right words to say, all while his eyes were focused on mine. I started to flush slightly. _Why was he staring at my eyes so much?_

"Did you read my textbook in school?" He asked again.

"… Every last word of it," I replied honestly and true. Finally… I was surprised to see my father frown. After what felt like hours but must have been only about a minute or so, he turned away and muttered, "_It's foolish… to follow my footsteps…"_ I snarled.

"It's not like I want to, alright? How can I avoid every god damn person in those halls, asking me the same god damn questions every day; _'Have you heard from your father yet, Jeff? Oh, your father is a wonderful scientist, you'll be just as smart as he is, _or _hi Andonut's son_… it's been like that for me for the past _decade_ like your old book that we _still_ study from to this day. And yet, after all those years… you've been here… _for what? So you could finally have your peace of mind that you've always dreamed about?"_ My feelings started to pour out. Yet, Andonuts was still as quiet and calm as he's been so far. I could feel the hot air blowing out of my nostrils.

"… There's no need to be upset, is-"

"_Upset? __**Me?**__ No, it's been a field of daisies and dandy lions for me __**dad**_."

"… Son, please… _just hear me out_…"

"_**Stop making excuses for yourself. You've always been like that; you're being like that with me and you were always like that with mom."**_

"Wise decisions don't come out of rage, son"-

"_**I could care less if I was the dumbest being in existence, I can still tell when his own father abandons him!"**_ I barked. My dad cast his eyes back to mine. _Yet again… all he focused on were my eyes…_

"… _You've got her eyes…"_ He spoke. It was hard to admit that I softened up, just for a moment. I almost choked on my words.

"_My eyes… have nothing to do with anything…"_ I told him.

"_You're wrong… your eyes mean everything… her eyes… meant the world too,"_ He said. I couldn't believe what I was hearing… I just didn't understand, yet I understood everything. I fought back my tears at least, though I still choked on my own breath.

"_How could you talk about her like that… after all that has happened?"_ I said.

"… _I loved your mother…" _Father murmured. I squinted, shutting it all out of my head.

_"That's a lie… you're lying to me…"_

"Can you honestly tell me one time that I have lied?" He asked. I inhaled roughly through both my nose and my mouth.

"All I remember in my childhood is you two nagging and fighting with each other… I was never sure why… did it have to do with me?!" I asked. Father sighed.

"What we fought about is none of your concern at the moment…"

"The only time I remember you two being happy together is when we were at the beach… I mean, that's the only real family moment I still can recall…" I said.

"There were more things we did together than go to the beach… you just don't remember those memories, you were too-"

_"__**No dad.**__ The rest of the time you were cooped up down in your little pile of science and theorems in the basement… mom was the only one that took care of me since…"_ I growled. I could tell by that time that dad had seemed irritated as he scratched his temple and wiped his forehead.

_"Hell… I even remember a time when I really wanted your affection… and I tried everything to get it. Even mother tried helping me achieve it, because she knew that I had always wondered where you went. Remember that rocket ship I built in the sand box that you tore down with your own feet? __**Remember?**__ I built it for you! __**And you tore it down and sent me to a place where I… **__was cold, lonely and parentless for what I knew the rest of my life… and without a word from you…"_ My fists started to shake; no other time had I felt so angry and emotional. My head started to spin and my sight began to twist in front of my eyes. Yet again… it fell silent between us. My father turned around to face his back towards me.

_"And yet here I am… __**still**__ trying… but for what…"_

"It's true that your mother loved you… if you had seen her smile when you entered her world, you would have discovered that to be the reason in itself to live… her smile was like a golden sun-"

_"__**Stop talking about her poetically,"**_ I snarled.

"_She loved you more than anything… yet you still tried achieving my affection…"_ My eyes widened.

"_She told me one night that she was willing to sacrifice anything and everything she had for you… and she did. __**All because you wanted to hear those same words pass my lips…"**_ I froze for a moment in time. And as the words kept swirling in my head, it was hard to absorb what little else he had to say.

"_Jeff, I saw you that night… when your mother and I argued about how dangerous it was to go outside that evening… yet you disobeyed both of us and went outside to wait," _He began.

"But… _mom said,"-_

"_But how would you have known or understood; you were only four at the time…"_

_"What are you trying to get at…?"_

_"Let's just say… that the danger that was waiting outside was pre-determined… so dangerous that it cost your mother's life… me to move to a quiet, isolated place… and becoming one of the top causes for every single thing that has happened in your life… no… the world so far."_ He began to ramble. My jaw dropped and my shaking fists loosened up, but only because of the trembling sensation I had felt.

"_You… you aren't suggesting that… I…" _My voice was barely legible for even my own ears to catch.

_"You went by your own actions that night… __**you **__were the one that went to the park… not your mother… not me, __**you."**_

"…"

"_Your mother did all she could… to save your life. The only thing I hated about myself that night was that I was too late to respond… but how was I to know? I assumed you would be a good boy and stay indoors. In fact, I had promised myself that after my bit of work, I would have played games with you…"_ I couldn't believe what I was hearing…

"_But here we are… stuck in the hard to believe positions we're actually in… without a wife, without a mother…"_

_"Dad…"_

_"I finally see my son… after so many years… blaming me… for everything, just because he couldn't hear those three simple words…"_

_"Dad"-_

_"… I hate you…"_ My breath caught at the heart stopping phrase.

"_Wh- Dad… but…"_

_"… Get out…"_

_"Dad, just listen! I… I'm sorry, alright? __**See, hear? I'm SORRY, alright?**__ Now please… Dad…"_

_"…Get… out…"_ My dad muttered again. I growled.

"_**Dad, will you just listen to me,"-**_

_**"… Get… OUT!"**_ I flinched, as an angry arm had knocked countless items off the counter tops, several contents, now shattered and broken on the floor. I felt paralyzed… _petrified._ My dad ran angry aggressive fingers through his hair as he turned around.

"_**You and your mother's eyes get out of my sight…"**_ He spoke pointing towards the door. My heart hammered against my chest.

"_But… dad…"_

_**"GET OUT!"**_ He yelled angrily, smashing his coffee mug to the floor. I flinched, racing out of that room. No other time since back on that wrenched day had I felt so afraid… _alone._

I ran outside, through the woods. I wasn't sure for how long, but at least until my heart felt like tearing into two.

Finally, I had clumsily stumbled into a tree. I wasn't sure how long I stood there, my head glued to the bark of the tree, looking down at my trembling weak hands. My glasses… my sight fogged up.

_I broke down into tears almost instantly that day…_


	18. Welcome Home

_A/N: Omg, thank you, Red, Dream, Tekirai-chan, DanMat6288, UnoZ, Angel, Uh.. I can't think of a name :P, Lea, and Konoah's Kage for reviewing and giving your feedback on my story so far! X3_

_Holy hell, sorry for the wait on the continuation of this story, for I was pretty busy for the past two months. xD I'm hoping to be back on track this summer, by uploading a new chapter every 2 weeks, hopefully! xO Yet again, sorry for such a long wait for all of you who have been patiently waiting, and thanks for doing so too! I kept some of the things you guys had said in mind, like I said, critique is more than welcome. I just hope I'm improving! xO_

_This chapter turned out pretty long, but with not much action. However, there are some key details in this one that might open up a few questions for later chapters. Which is why by this time, I would like to ask you all a big favor and not post your predictions for future chapters, just in case if you do turn out to be right and someone else sees your post, I don't want them to feel like they're being spoiled. xO I trust you guys though ;) If you have any questions though, please contact me via sending me a note on DeviantArt would be perfect, considering I'm on there everyday. My screename is the same as my screename on x3_

_Well I guess I should stop talking and let you guys read. Hopefully there aren't many errors in this. Thank you all very much! X3_

_I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

XxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_It always figured whenever I was sad in school that I would always curl up on Maxwell's rooftop, away from the rest of the world. What was ironic though was while recent events would definitely pop through my head, there was always one memory that would always come back rushing to me. It was a strange, almost scary memory but I held it dear to me and I had no idea why. Maybe it was because of that strange man…_

_It seemed like a casual night. Mother would always bathe me as usual in my bubble bath with my favorite rubber duck toy. And while I had always giggled at my mom disguising her voice as a duck, I had always focused my eyes on her silky blond wavy hair; hanging down her shoulders and framing her perfect face. I had to admit, her smile was like the golden sun, it looked so happy… magical if that. That was when my father called into the room. He didn't sound like himself however… he sounded more alarmed._

_"You better get in here…" He said. Mother cast her eyes to the door and sighed. Putting the ducky in the bubble infested tub, she gave my hair one last scrub, kissing my cheek and assuring me that she would return shortly. I watched the yellow duck as it slowly floated around the tub, all the while hearing surprised voices and alerting sounds of my mom and dad quarreling. But for some reason… they didn't sound like they were quarreling at each other. Nonetheless, I heard someone else's voice too… or so I could have sworn. And after what seemed like minutes, mother came back into the room; tears streaking down her face._

_I tried asking her, "Mom, what's wrong?" However, all she could do was finish washing and drying me. And before she slipped my underwear on, she hesitated. It was hard for me to see, but I was soon wrapped into her embrace again. Of course, I was scared at the time, the one person I looked up to was in a broken down state. I held her in response._

_She kissed me goodnight as I was placed into my crib. But even after the lights were turned off and the night sky became the new source of light, I still couldn't fall asleep. So I let my eyes and my mind wander everywhere I could go, until I could find a state of peace. I almost got there; I would have if I hadn't heard a settle sound._

_Widening my eyes, I scanned the area around me while burying myself deeper into the covers. It was dark… hazy. But I could sense its presence. The barely silhouetted shadow it seemed, lingered beside my bed side. I could remember the musty scent of dusk and rain filling up my nostrils just barely. It was really hard without my glasses to see this form clearly, but for just some reason I knew… he was looking down right at me. I was well unknown of their intention, which made myself bury myself even deeper under my blanket._

_I saw a hand, reaching for a moment towards me. I whimpered and backed away, which I hoped was the reason of his sudden pause. He took his hand down finally, a sigh escaping his unsettled lips. Silence…_

_"I… I can't seem to remember…" I heard a low muted voice. I couldn't reply with anything. I could only stare blankly at him._

_"Only faces… who… who are these people? … Do I really have a purpose?" I wasn't sure why, but my fears of this strange man faded off. Why did I suddenly feel comfort?_

_"… What does this all mean? Why am I here? …Who are you?" This was the last thing I heard from him. I knew then that this moment would linger with me for a long time. I couldn't forget his presence._

_… Because the next moment I blinked, he was gone without a sound…_

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxXxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 18 Welcome Home_

XxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxX

I was curled up in the snow. By myself. Crying like the pathetic being I was. Even after referring back to my strange memories, it didn't comfort me this time. Father's words still came rushing back to me, even when I tried blocking them away. And the more it tormented me, the more I felt like ripping myself apart into bloody pieces.

… _Was this all my fault after all?_ I thought to myself. Bringing my now purple hands from the snow, I brought one to rub a tear away… but something kept me back. Instead, now sitting on my freezing knees I looked up into the blinding white sky. I couldn't even feel the falling snow, for my skin was already frozen from my tears. It was then that my mind finally went blank for several minutes, just sitting there, drowning in my own self pity.

"Ah…" I was startled when something finally caught my attention. Looking down next to me, I saw what seemed to be that same monkey that tagged along with me when I had first left Snow Wood… unaware of what had happened so far. Bubble Monkey looked at me with its big brown eyes as if he were trying to communicate a message to me. He was probably wondering, or asking in his own language, what was wrong. I wanted to reach out to the monkey and I dared myself, letting my right hand stray from my body to reach to its red fur. However in return, the monkey backed away slightly. And with that I stopped.

The monkey looked back at me with that same look, like he was frowning at me. I was sure I looked at least half dead to him because I wasn't really sure how to respond. It was then that I started to hear faint but settle voices from the distance. When they grew louder and more defined in my eardrums I realized that I had been sitting in the snow for two hours all by myself. The sound of Ness and the other's voice became more than clear to me then.

_I didn't want them to see me alone like this,_ I thought. Finally, I forced myself to get off my knees, which then felt like snapping in half as I stood there, letting my feet sink into the ground. The monkey looked up to me, tilting its head. Finally, I let myself smile, just slightly back.

"Let's go," I told him.

---

About half way down the snowy mountains did I notice how cold I really was. And when my body temperature rose back up again, I felt myself shivering even more. Bubble monkey rushed ahead of me once and a while to make sure I was following him. Once and a while he would take out the gum he _still_ had in his mouth to stretch it out and stick it back in. Wouldn't he have a weird taste in his mouth by now? Or maybe he liked it? I didn't seriously get this monkey addicted to something did I?

I eventually spotted the lab, wanting to turn back the other way as I dreaded every step I took towards the building. I wasn't really going to face him again just now was I? My chest tightened up once more as I clutched at it, hoping for it to fade off. But it only cramped up more- I was scared to confront that man again and it was giving my body negative side effects. My sight waved ahead of me as I widened my eyes. Moments passed by as I stood there, mesmerized in my own fear and lack of breath. When I felt a tug on my pants, my body gave off a violent sudden shiver. Looking down, I met that same expression from that damn monkey as he tilted his head. I closed my eyes and cursed under my breath.

"What am I _doing?_" I emphasized, though I wasn't sure why. I decided after looking up at the building stubbornly, I turned to walk away again; where I was headed was beyond me. Even then, bubble monkey still followed me.

---

"Jeeeff!" I could have sworn I heard behind me. I shook it off and kept walking, keeping my dull eyes straight forward. I wasn't sure if the monkey was following me by this time or if he had followed the many voices behind calling my name.

"_Jeeeeeffff"_ Ness hollered. I shook my head.

"Jeff come back, where are you going?!" Paula said next. I growled.

"Hey four eyes did your ears freeze off?" Picky yelled. I swore someday that little punk would get it. Something that was to be expected, yet still shook me out of my reverie happened. Feeling the sudden smack of a ball of snow hit the back of my head and had managed to make my glasses fall off.

"Good strike," Ness snickered. I growled again, assuming who threw the ball as I knelt down to feel for my glasses. When my frozen hand could identify the glasses I slipped them on past my ears. Standing up as my eyes came into focus, all three of them who now wore coats, stood around me, all smiling in their own goofy fashion. They found it funny. I didn't.

"Who threw it?" I spoke bitterly, eyes immediately steering towards Picky, who frowned guiltily back at me. However almost instantly, Paula stepped up to the plate.

"I did, I thought it would catch your attention, I'm sorry. Though it did work…" She said looking up at me. I frowned down at her but of course I couldn't hold any offense to her. I could feel Ness's pair of cautious eyes on me. I rubbed my head.

"It just startled me is all," I replied.

"What were you doing out here all by yourself without telling us are you dense in the head or something?" Ness asked.

"I… no! Just no Ness, alright?" I replied. Ness frowned.

"You look really pale," he said. "Like sick pale, your cheeks aren't even pink like Picky and Paula's, are you really alright?" Ness asked.

"And your hands look really purple…" Paula said nervously.

"Nonetheless your eyes especially look pink and disoriented," Picky said.

"What the hell have you been doing out here all this time?" Ness questioned. I flared up my nostrils.

"Well what do you think, _Ness?_ What is the only reason at the moment that could _possibly_ be wrong with me right now?!" I spat.

"You didn't have to come out here and freeze your ass to death though!" Ness said back.

"Guys, don't…" Paula said as she grabbed a hold of Ness's hand. I snorted.

"_Look._ Maybe this temperature is freezing for you three, but this happens to be my natural habitat that I've been living in for most of my life. I can freeze my ass off as I will," I told them. Ness and Paula frowned at me while Picky had a humorous expression that read, 'What a douche bag.' Ness did nothing, looking back at me with a cold stare as he started to walk away.

"Ness!" Paula said alerting as she trailed behind. Picky chuckled as he started to follow.

"Way to go-"

"_Shut up,"_ I snapped at him. Paula looked back at Picky and I.

"So is that it then?" I yelled. "You'll just leave anyways!" I meant that last phrase to be a question. However, Ness said nothing; didn't even turn back. I gritted my teeth. I could start to feel the below freezing temperature creep up on my skin again. Apparently the heated conversation started to circulate my blood again. And after standing there for what felt like minutes just watching them walk away, I trailed behind them.

I really didn't want them to see me like this…

---

So eventually, we made it back to the lab, which I inwardly cringed at.

"Hey, look who followed us," Picky said looking back at me. Paula smiled slightly while Ness still seemed to hold a grudge against me. It was then suddenly that my feet started to stumble a bit. Paula grunted worryingly of course as I quickly found the lab wall for my support. Standing up straight again, I looked at the three of them, all, especially Ness, couldn't look away from me.

"Wait outside," He told me as Paula followed him inside the building I dreaded. I sighed, leaning my back against the wall, letting my eyes stray up to the white sky again. I knew coming to this stupid place was a bad idea. Picky finally said something.

"So what happened?" Picky asked. I turned my now lowered head away from him. I didn't say anything, not because I didn't want to but I couldn't. Picky sighed.

"You know I didn't mean all that stuff back there, don't you?" He asked. Deep in the back of my mind, I had a feeling he had a good side to him, so this bit of info wasn't the least big shocking, especially because of how numb I still was from what had just happened. My voice was hoarse when I spoke again.

"Thanks… I know," I muttered. Staring at my snow covered shoes; I wiggled my now frostbitten toes in attempt to feel them. It matched perfectly with the heart I couldn't feel beating in my chest… no matter how cliché or emo that sounded, it was true. When I heard Ness and Paula approaching the door, there was no sound from the monkeys or father anywhere inside.

"So… he said it was up to us if we stay or not and if we do leave, we'd need to come back in a couple of days. So we have a lot of time to spare," Ness suggested.

"So… are we going home then?" Picky asked.

"Yeah… I have to take you back anyways before we can really move on again. Which also means that; when we do come back, I'll need to go back to that cave. There's something I really need there, I just know it… I can feel it," Ness said.

"How come I can't come? Surely I can be of some help, right?" Picky asked. "If four… I mean, Jeff can go with you guys, why can't I?" Picky asked. Ness shook his head.

"Thanks but… I dunno, this is personal to us… it's hard to explain," Ness said.

"You understand, right?" Paula asked him. Picky nodded slowly, then shook his head no. Paula sighed.

"Maybe you'll understand soon enough," She said. My mouth went dry as a quiet Ness finally stood in front of me with a hot steaming mug in his hands. His eyes hardened as they met mine. He held the mug up to me.

"You need this, drink it up," He semi- ordered me. I frowned at him.

"Make me," I told him.

"Fine," He said as he literally grabbed my hand, which I did not even feel, and forced my fingers around the hot mug. I watched this amusingly in a sense, until my bitter feelings returned as I soon swatted the mug away into the snow; hot liquid melting it down to the ground. All the sudden, my eyes widened as a hand flew at my face. I actually felt the sharp stinging sensation travel across my cheek, making my nose wrinkle as an odd electric feeling traveled to my fingers and my toes. I could hear the sound of someone's snort. Looking down again through crooked lenses at Ness's narrow silvery eyes made something in my stomach turn. What was I doing? We were making no progress whatsoever.

"How long are you going to keep this ridiculous attitude of yours up?"

"I'm not drinking _anything_ from that bastard," I replied.

"Yeah well if you won't drink something from here, you damn will when we reach Onett," He replied.

"Stop _fighting!_" Paula finally growled. "If you keep this up I… I'll do something you two will regret!" Paula threatened.

"Paula no," Ness told her as Picky kept laughing.

"You know, your laughs aren't lightening up the moment Picky," I told him. By now Picky rubbed his nose chuckling.

"I'm sorry, It's just… it's just… oh man, you two fight like a married couple, it's just ridiculous!" Picky finished. By this time my jaw dropped. Ness looked infuriated as it looked as if his cheeks flared up.

"Come over here and say that to my face Picky and I'll _smash_ you back to Onett like a home run!" Ness spoke in hostility as he grabbed out his metal bat. Picky backed off.

"Ehehe I'm just saying, don't get worked up about it. You two fought nothing like how my parents fought," He replied shrugging. Ness snorted as he put his bat back behind his back turning around.

"Anyways… how the hell do we even get to Onett?" Picky asked. Ness frowned at this, seeing, as I assume, that Picky wasn't too familiar with his special abilities, at least not fully. But was Ness ready? Ness sighed and looked around and walked a certain distance to get another look around. He wasn't serious, was he?

… he was

"What are you doing Ness?" Paula asked.

"Just wait…" Ness seemed to look hard into the distance, probably observing if he'll run into anything along the way. Ness closed his eyes.

"Let me do a test run. Just stay here a moment," Ness told us.

"Ness, don't risk it, what if you can't come back?" I asked.

"I have enough PSI for plenty of trips," He replied.

"I don't get it, what's going on?" Picky asked crossing his arms.

"At least let me come with you so you won't get lost by yourself?" I asked. Ness snorted, looking back moreso at Picky.

"No way, I can't leave Picky with Paula alone together, you babysit them," He told me. Picky's jaw seemed to drop slightly.

"Take me?" Paula asked.

"Nah, I don't wanna risk it…" Ness sighed. I raised an eyebrow.

"Take… me?" Picky asked. There was a pause; Ness shrugged.

"No one will notice if anything bad happens to you. Let's go," Ness replied. I snorted in amusement. Picky waved his arms in defense.

"On other thought, maybe it isn't a good idea," Picky replied. Ness chuckled.

"I'll be right back," He said. I wanted to halt him.

"Wait-"

"But he was gone in an instant. Looking back at Paula and Picky, they looked astonished.

"What the fuck?" Picky swore.

"What… Ness? Where'd he go?" Paula asked.

"Hopefully… uhh… let's just hope he comes back?" I replied. In mid sentence, I could hear an odd sound in the distance, like a jolt of concentrated wind approaching. But on the other hand, a gust of wind blew by, so it probably wasn't him. I walked up to the spot where Ness was standing, looking around through the trees and the distance. Suddenly however, I could hear one's screams of protest in the distance.

"_No, not the tree!"_ I could have sworn I heard a voice holler. However, my eye searching was all in vain.

"Where the-" My eyes widened as Ness was catapulted towards my direction, screaming at me to get out of the way. However, it was too late as the mere force made us tumble what felt like meters away off of our feet. Snow choked my nose and my throat, while managing to lose my glasses in the process. I could feel Ness grip my hand for dear life, stretching it out enough for me to yelp in pain. When the chaos finally ended, both of us lay in the snow, feet away from each other in silence.

"Owww…" Ness complained; mouth muffled in the snow. We could hear snow crunching approaching us quickly.

"Ness, Jeff, are you two alright?" Paula asked scared. Poor girl had no idea yet what he just did. Trying to move, I hissed in pain.

"My head hurts" Ness complained. By this time, I could barely move my left shoulder, and when I attempted, I bit my lip, trying not to whimper.

"Sorry… Jeff," Ness said. By this time, I could sense someone handing me my glasses, which in surprise, still seemed to be in one piece. When my sight was clear again, someone rest a hand on my shoulder, and suddenly my sore left side was refreshed and new again. I rotated my whole left arm.

"Thanks Ness," I thanked him as Paula helped me up on my feet.

"Does that sorry count for when you slapped me too?" I asked.

"Hell no," Ness replied bluntly.

"Ness, was that your new ability? It looks uncontrolled, are you sure we can reach Onett with that?" Paula asked worried. Ness shook the snow out of his hair.

"Onett itself is pretty flat, the neighborhood streets are usually empty and we don't have much to run into. I just had a problem getting here because there are so many damn trees and rocks around," Ness replied.

"And yet, you managed to tackle down Jeff, which would have been at a very low percentage considering he's the only Jeff here. Way to go," Picky said thumbing him up. I exhaled with my lips plastered together.

"I didn't mean to, he was in the bit of open space I was heading to," Ness replied. Paula seemed uncomfortable.

"So… are we ready then?" Ness asked. All of us were pretty silent.

"The question is, are you ready to transport all us?" I replied. Ness pondered a bit, looking out into the distance out into the trees. His expression seemed to be bothered, but his stance was calm.

"I dunno… we won't find out if we just stand here though…" He said.

"True… so are you sure you can give it a go now?" I asked. Ness nodded soon enough.

"Everyone stand in a line over here I guess," Ness replied. And so we all did, standing in front of a tree in the snow; Ness sought in the distance once more to be sure we weren't going to collide into anything.

"I think this is where I was… I guess we should all hold hands," Ness said. Ness, who was in front, held onto Paula's hand, who held onto my hand, who I held…

"But I don't wanna get four-eye coot-" I kicked snow in his face.

_"Hey_, knock it off-" I kicked more snow in his direction. I snickered as I heard Ness sigh in irritation.

"Picky, get up here," Ness said. Picky kicked snow at me, while I responded the same way, both of us chuckling now. Now Picky was second in line, so I was to hold Paula's hand.

"Kay, let's go," Ness said as he started walking; all of us voicing in protest, but it was all too late as everything around us started rushing faster and faster past us. Paula started screaming, more in amusement however after a few seconds.

There was a moment when we were all flying in the air, thousands and thousands of feet above the snowy capped mountains through the snow littered sky.

Away from him finally, I thought.

---

In a matter of minutes, we were running through the streets of a residential area, hands still clasped together. And even when it was safe to stop, we all kept jogging, trying to adjust to the now still atmosphere. When we finally stopped, all three of us looked around astonished.

"Wha…" Paula said. Picky looked around in a state of shock, until looking at Ness, who just stood there, amusingly observing our shocked states. I was with him the first time he did it, and I was still shocked.

"Holy hell Ness, that was tight! Just think of the amazing places you can go with that! That was… was… teach me!" Picky stumbled over his words. Ness had a half crooked smile hanging from his face.

"I don't think I can…" Ness replied.

"And why not?" Picky asked disappointingly. Ness looked a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

"I won't be able to do that either Picky, and don't talk to loud about it, we're in public," I replied. Picky frowned.

"Oh… that's right," Picky replied, seemingly in deep thought, looking at Ness, almost in observation. Looking between the two, and how Ness had his eyes downcast, Picky knew something that neither Paula nor I knew about. Picky then outstretched his arms over his head.

"Well, I guess I, or we should head back home now. My mom will forget about me and eat my leftover Chinese in the fridge. This definitely is Onett…" He said, becoming in deep thought again.

"Does this mean we can finally meet your mother Ness?" Paula asked happily. It took a moment for Ness to register the question through his head as his eyes bobbed up towards her.

"Yeah…" He smiled. He seemed worried a bit. I didn't blame him very much.

"Well then what are we waiting for? I've always wanted to meet her; let's go see her!" Paula cheered, grabbing both Ness and Picky's hands and walking off down the street. I followed behind deep in my own thought.

I wondered what she was like…

---

Onett was a beautiful town. The weather was perfect; the sun was out, reaching three-fourths of the sky, so it must have been nearing four-o'clock in the afternoon. The people looked normal and friendly in the streets. The plants were green and healthy. Kids were out playing and best of all, no one gave us any bizarre stares; they looked at us with smiling eyes. It was a happy, normal neighborhood. I had always wondered what it would have been like to actually grow up in the one I used to live in.

Paula seemed happy to be on her feet, traveling with us, waving and saying hi cutely to the people that passed us by. Their replies were all friendly; a gesture I had been waiting for weeks, no, years to see. Picky seemed contently happy as well. But Ness's head was held low. Something made him not want to be here, and I wasn't even sure what it was. Nervousness? Bad memories? Eventually, Paula said hi to a man in sunglasses and a red business suit. His blond hair stuck up in the middle like a horn, and his dimples would show when he smiled and waved at us, only to pause a second later.

"You… you're that kid," He said. Ness looked up to the man, as if he was trying to remember something.

"Frank Fly…" Ness muttered.

"I see you're doing well," He replied smiling. Ness seemingly gulped slightly.

"Yeah, I could say the same for you too," He said.

"So… what are you up to these days? Are you still out there, getting after those bad guys you've been vowing to go after? Did you find your _friend_?" He asked. Something in Ness snapped as he winced at the last word 'friend.'

"I… yeah you could say that," Ness shrugged. Frank studied Ness slightly, lifting up his shades, revealing his hazel eyes. Ness looked back at him, but eventually looked away.

"… Where's your determination boy? You had tremendous amounts of it when you won against me. We made a bet to change our lives for the better, didn't we?" He said. Ness shook his head.

"I-'m just not feeling that good today. I'm pretty tired to tell you the truth…" Ness replied. Frank frowned slightly, the corner of his mouth attempting to curve up slightly, but could not find the certainty to do so.

"Just remember that these obstacles are only temporary if we force them to. If we let the obstacle take control, it will always be there. You've pushed through many obstacles; surely you can push through whatever you're going through now. You're a strong young man and I wish more people could see it. But what can I do?" He explained shrugging. Ness could only reply with a sigh. Paula squeezed his hand.

"Just relax for the day Ness, you've done so much, even for me. Cheer up silly," Paula replied. Frank smiled.

"What a cute young girl," He replied, pulling down his shades.

"If you kids get hungry, come and get a burger in town. I'll put them on the house for you kids. See you soon Ness," He said, making his way again. Ness looked down again.

"Ness what's wrong?" I asked, realizing soon after how stupid it was of me to ask such a question. Ness looked back at me.

"Are you warm enough yet?" Ness asked, strangely looking at my face instead of making eye contact. Did he just crack a smile?

"Slightly. I'll be fine Ness, don't worry about me. Let's get to your house so you can sleep," I replied. Ness's mouth curved up. Soon after, both Paula and Picky cracked smiles as well.

"Ok, what is it?" I asked, flushing slightly.

"Oh nothing," Ness replied.

---

Eventually, we climbed up a street that went uphill, hosting fairly nice homes, all speckled in white-golden sunlight. When we reached the top, curving towards the left, there was another stretch of nice homes settled in peacefully in their own snug lots. When we were about to pass the two story white house with the navy blue roof top, Ness paused in his tracks. The front yard was fenced in cherry oak wood fencing. The flower beds all hosted colorful pansies and daisies, perfect for the normal breezy weather. Golden sunflowers grew among the walls of the house, and on the small porch lay an old white dog, lazily drifting in his own dreams.

"So… this is it," Ness replied. "… My house," Ness replied.

"Why are you so nervous? You've wanted to see your mom for such a long time Ness," Paula started saying until Picky started snickering.

"It must be nice to be this close to your _mommy_ Ness," Picky replied.

"Since when did you start becoming an asshole again, Picky?" Ness replied. It was around this time that someone's head poked out of one of the windows from the top story. _It was that girl_ _from Threed_, I thought. The girl looked down at us wide-eyed.

"Mooom! Ness is home!" We could hear her holler. Ness growled in annoyance.

"Way to scream it to the world, _Tracy,"_ He muttered under his breath. Soon enough, the blond gal, opened the front door and skipped over to greet us.

"Oh and you brought Picky back too, that's good, Lardna was starting to bug us about him. You should go back and see her now," Tracy said. Picky shrugged.

"I'll be over in a little, she won't care," He replied, but Tracy paid no mind.

"You brought home these two as well!" Tracy smiled, immediately wrapping her arms around Paula in greet.

"Tracy what are you doing?" Ness sighed.

"Hi Tracy," Paula smiled. Tracy's grin was big.

"You're so cute Paula- erm… I mean hi!" She giggled. Around this time, the white dog joined us, slightly growling at our intrusion, but accepted Paula's attempt to pet it.

"Em… what was your name again?" Tracy smiled, cheeks flushed slightly while rubbing the back of her head and holding out her hand. I chuckled slightly.

"Jeff," I told her, accepting her hand in a shake.

"Yes, of course," She replied laughing embarrassingly now. I could only laugh slightly with her. Ness frowned.

"You seem happier to see Paula and Jeff than me," Ness replied. Tracy exhaled.

"What? I can talk to you anytime I want considering _you're_ the one calling home every two days," She replied. Ness flushed.

"_I do not!"_ Ness argued.

"Do too, _mneeeeh_," She said, sticking out her tongue. Ness growled.

"_Stop acting as if you're older than me!"_ Ness grew hostile.

"Then grow up, _mama's big boy-"_

_"Don't call me that!"_ The front door opened again. In the door way stood a young woman dressed in jeans and a green long sleeved shirt. Her blond hair was short and wavy. When she spotted us, her expression was blank, but when Ness and her finally met eyes, a soft, welcoming emotion washed over her as she smiled contently. From the look of Ness, it seemed as if he wanted to rush into her arms. What kept him from doing so, I could only guess, was so he wouldn't embarrass himself.

"Oh Ness, you look dirty!" She laughed, walking over to us. Ness's shoulders dropped slightly, looking up to his mother, both staring at each other for a moment, until she finally extended her arms.

"Welcome home, Ness," She said. Ness paused for a moment, until eventually crashing into her arms, wrapping them around her back.

"Mom…" He mumbled. Sooner than later, he let go, surprising her by doing so; cheeks slightly flushed, looking away.

"I… I was wondering…" His mother smiled.

"They can stay over too. Stay as long as you need to," She replied, looking over at Paula and I.

"Introduce to me again, Ness, who are your friends again? You know how bad I am with names," She asked. Ness grunted.

"This is Paula, and that's Jeff," He replied. His mother 'ahhed' in approval.

"That's right! Ness was telling me all about you Paula, even before he left to go find you…" She trailed off. Paula tilted her head.

"Oh, excuse me; I forgot you were Paula Polestar! Oh my how embarrassing of me!" She laughed slightly. "Are your parent's okay with you traveling along with my son?" She asked sounding worried. Paula nodded.

"It'll be okay," She replied. Ness frowned slightly.

"We're going to your parent's house tomorrow Paula… if that's what you want," Ness said. Paula shook her head.

"No I don't need to see them, it's more important if we-"

"We're seeing your parents, Paula," Ness stated. Paula froze for a second.

"Oh… kay," She replied. His mother looked at them skeptically, almost worryingly to Ness, then sighed.

"You must be Josh then," She smiled, holding a hand out towards me. I chuckled.

"Jeff," I replied smiling, accepting her hand. His mom laughed again.

"Haha, there I go again. Jeff is it? Thank you for looking after my son, and this beautiful young girl," She replied. I rubbed the back of my hand.

"It's… nothing," I laughed slightly, feeling a bit misjudged.

"Mom, I'm going to bed, come on Paula," He suddenly said, taking her hand. His mom however halted them.

"Oh Ness, you know better than to just drag girls up to your room!" She started giggling. Picky snorted slightly. Ness flushed.

"It's nothing like that!" He spoke nervously. "I'm just… really tired," He said.

"Well I can't let Paula sleep in your room, her parents wouldn't like that," She smiled. "Even though I trust you," She said. Tracy finally intruded.

"She can sleep in my room tonight," She smiled.

"I thought you were inviting your friend Kaitlin to spend the night," She said.

"We can sleep on the floor, Paula can have the bed! It'll be fun, a girl's slumber party, right?" She smiled winking at Paula. Paula seemed a bit hesitant from the offer but soon enough she accepted it.

"Thank you," She said quietly.

"And then what about you, where should you go tonight?" His mother asked me.

"He can share my bed if he wants to," Ness sighed. However, to all of our surprises, she shook her head.

"I can't allow that either," She smiled. "Our couch can fold out into a futon, it would be perfect for you," She smiled to me. I wasn't sure if I was to be grateful or not. But when I saw her glancing to the house next door, I had a hunch that her reasons lay beyond just comfort and room.

"It's alright; the couch is perfect for me. I appreciate your kindness ma'am," I told her. She smiled.

"Just call me Debbie," She said. I could only nod.

"Right," I said. Debbie sighed, smelling the cool breeze that past us.

"Well what do we say that I cook up your favorite meal tonight Ness? I bet you've been dying to give your friends a taste of my special steak. It's a perfect day to barbeque. Now run upstairs, get yourself cleaned off and relax. Dinner will be around seven," She said. Ness finally cracked a smile.

"Thanks… mom," He said. Finally, we all walked inside her house, not even realizing that Picky had already gone his separate way.

---

Ness's house was kept clean and organized, but still held that cozy, welcoming feeling of home. The flowers were real, and they were arranged in multiple colors on multiple tables throughout the house. When you entered through the front door, you were already greeted to the living room, where I had spotted a soft plush couch, directed in front of a normal sized, non-flat TV sitting on a stand on the floor. An orange blanket covered and curtained part of the back rest of the sofa, which seemed to point to the entry way to the kitchen, and the stairs that were just right next to it. Down the hall looked to be a bathroom and the laundry room. I rest my bag on the couch before rotating my shoulders around. Ness had already started up towards his room.

"Oh and Ness, sometime either tonight or tomorrow could you look at this letter that your teacher sent home? It might be really important," She said. Ness nodded.

"Got it," He replied, walking up. Debbie sighed again. "Oh Ness, there you go again without much to say..." She said, walking into the kitchen. I frowned slightly. Tracy looked excited for some reason as she and Paula went up to her room. She seemed to be a big fan of her. It was finally time for me to sigh as I sat on the couch, letting my mind finally wander again.

… and even laying in the comfort zone of someone else's home, his anger still plagued my mind. As my mind wandered to the conversation we had again, I had the urge, the hunger to punch that man. Just the _nerve_ of him to say those words to me was enough to-

_"Dad…"_

"_I finally see my son… after so many years… blaming me… for everything, just because he couldn't hear those three simple words…"_

"_Dad"-_

"… _I hate you…"_

"_But… dad…"_

"_**GET OUT!"**_

I didn't realize how hard I clutched my fist; white knuckles turning the tips of my fingers red. All the while, I was interrupted by one's friendly gestures.

"Hello Jeff," Debbie smiled, holding what looked to be a hot steaming mug in her hands. My eyes widened, sitting up.

"Ness told me you were cold not long ago, so he asked me to make some tea for you," She smiled.

"Did he really?" I asked, slightly embarrassed. She set the mug down on the coffee table next to the couch.

"Just make yourself at home dear. If there's anything else you need, just tell me," She said, starting to walk back into her kitchen. I looked at the mug with sincerity. It was rare for one to make me such a nice thing, nonetheless, someone else's own mother. Ness didn't take her for granted… did he?

"Wait…" I managed to say. Debbie paused for a moment, looking back at me. I didn't turn my head, keeping my eyes glued to the hot tea awaiting my frostbitten lips.

"… Thank you," I told her. There was a pause.

"Of course," She said. Her tone sounded a bit confused, but happy nonetheless. I sighed through my nose, letting the hot honey-flavored chamomile tea fill my nostrils and warm up my senses, even though they were already warming up in the first place. It still felt night, and for once, my restless mind was at ease. When I set the mug down on the table, my eyes trailed to a nearby family photo. Picking up the frame, I studied the four smiling faces. Ness was a young boy, holding his hat on his head grinning; the sun making his silver-violet eyes sparkle. Tracy was holding what looked like the father's hand. The father himself; looked to be a business man, harmless at best. His smile was just like everyone else's in the family. It was comparable to my own family photo on the beach. Debbie looked lovely, a beautiful catch for the gentleman she stood next to. But deep down inside, though it might sound cruel, I just couldn't think that she was comparable to my own mother. I looked at Ness again, and the adorable smile that was spread across his face.

_… Come to think of it… did I ever see him smile like that?_ Thinking back at all the previous times he's smiled at me, again, something in my chest swirled as I placed the photo back down immediately to pick up the tea again. _Stop thinking of him like that,_ I thought. _It's stupid; gay if you will._ Time passed again without my notice. Suddenly, there was a knock, from the window. My jaw dropped in annoyance.

Through the window was Picky, trying to get my attention by sticking his fingers inside his mouth, stretching out his cheeks to stick his tongue out at me. I grumbled to myself, placing the tea on the table and walking to the front door.

"What do you want?" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Just seeing what everyone's doing, is that a problem with you?" Picky replied. I grumbled to myself.

"We're just resting basically," I said, soon to be cut off.

"Actually, there were a few reasons why I came here. I wanted to give this back to Paula," He said holding out what looked to be a pink hair clip with a heart plastered to it. My eyebrow perked up.

"How'd you get her hair clip?" I asked.

"Because she forgot it at Monotolli's place duh," He replied. I smirked.

"How'd you remember to pick it up for her?" I replied. Something in Picky clicked slightly. _Uh-huh…_

"Well it's so damn bright and pink how could I not see it?" He said.

"Riiight, I'll give it back to her for you, how is that?" I said, trying to reach for the clip. However, Picky immediately moved it away from me, holding it behind his back.

"No way, you'll give her four-eye cooties," He said, sticking out his tongue. My jaw cracked at his statement. Managing to calm down, I sighed.

"… Come hang with me for a second," He finally said in a serious tone. I frowned.

"What why?" I replied, noticing the mood change in the air.

"You've talked to him right? There's something I need to show you," He said. Pokey was the only person that clicked in my mind, which brought up the other question I held to me before, _was he the reason that Deborah couldn't let Ness and I share the same bed?_

"What… kind of thing?" I asked.

"You'll see… I think you'll find it very useful," He said.

---

Picky's home overall was bigger than Ness's house. It was conveniently awkward how the both of them lived right next door to each other. But for some reason, while it must have been worth a lot in its prime, there was an unsettling feeling in the air. Was it the un-mowed lawn or the dying flowers in the bed? Or was it the chipping white paint and the rusty old random appliances and trash littering their grounds? _Just what the hell happened here anyways?_

"My mom's out with her boyfriend tonight and there's nothing in the fridge, so I'm crashing over at your guys' for dinner. Deb's won't mind, she trusts me more than anyone else that's lived here," He said.

"Of course she'd trust you more, you're the only one that still acts sta-" I stopped myself, trying not to say anything too hurtful. It was his family after all. But Picky shrugged.

"Just say it, my family sucks, I know. I don't really care, my parent's never cared. I could only frown.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I told him. Picky opened the door to the inside, and instantly, three cats skittered outside.

"Damn cats, how many does she own now, five?" Picky questioned as we walked inside. Instantly, I could tell the atmosphere held the exact opposite vibe from Ness's house. Both un-tidy and messy, there was garbage to be thrown away, including the many empty pizza boxes sitting on the floor, by the messy couch and some of the broken contents sprawled about. And the air had a strong scent of cat waste and musk; old stains covering parts of the floor, some in which were fresh. It seemed more like a cat's land than a home. No wonder no one wanted to be here, I thought.

"Picky, you can report this you know, this is unsanitary; there are flies everywhere!" I told him. Picky shrugged again.

"It's not like that would change much. This house was doomed ever since we moved here all those years ago," He said. A gray tabby cat right then decided to rub against my leg. Shivering slightly, I shifted a bit. A cat hadn't touched me-I don't think ever.

"That's our real cat, Charles. These other cats started piling in once dad and Pokey moved out. Anyways, follow me," He said. My lungs became shallow because of the foul odor in the air. Once we got upstairs, it didn't get any better. Down the hall there were about five doors. The far left door led to the master. The room across from it we walked towards. I assumed it was Picky's room, which didn't look too bad off hand. Most of the mess was dirty laundry thrown on the ground and a few wrappers and cans here and there, but all in all, he didn't have many things to throw around. Picky sighed, looking though his drawers and closet. Eventually, he pulled out a screw driver and a metal hammer. My eyebrow perked up.

"What are you doing anyways? And why am I here? Why isn't Ness here?" I asked.

"My father banned him and his family from this house, so he isn't allowed over here. Of course the ban isn't as bad now since dad moved away. But another reason why I didn't invite Ness is well- you'll see," He said. Something in my deep stomach turned slightly from those words. We walked down the hall again into the smell again as two more cats passed our feet. We stopped in front of the locked door that I had my eyes on when we walked up here. Posters covered the door, one being a "Parental Advisory" poster.

"This door hasn't been opened well in almost a year, so I'm pretty nervous about opening this door myself," He said. I sighed.

"This Pokey's room?" I asked. Picky nodded.

"Yes and no, he kind of had two rooms to tell you the truth, which I'll show you in a little bit. But what I'm looking for is probably in here," He said, taking the hammer and banging the door handle. I chuckled.

"That's your method of opening the door?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" Picky replied. I laughed.

"I'll be right back," I told him.

---

Coming back, I brought the Bad Key machine that Maxwell had lent me my first night on my own.

"Wow, so you are useful," He said. I snorted.

"What a shocker, I did something," I told him, unlocking the door. However, neither of us budged the door open.

"You open it, it's your brother's room," I said. Picky sounded disapproved.

"Eh…" He didn't have much to say, but he paused. Finally I gave up, taking the handle in my hand and opening the door, awaiting the horrifying suspense that Picky warned me about…

… Only to be greeted by a normal, organized, ordinary room. Both of us stood there, shockingly so.

"It's… clean?" Picky said.

"Picky, this is the cleanest room in the house, why would Ness be so afraid of this?" I asked. Picky looked a bit dumfounded.

"Wha… it was disgusting the last time I saw it," He said. Looking around, this was almost cleaner than Ness's house, but it had a sense of loneliness the longer I stood inside it. Picky ran away downstairs. And there I was, alone in the room that belonged to a mentally-insane person that wished to kill me. Looking around, I started to feel cold again and isolated. _Something about this room…_ I thought. It made me feel uncomfortable, and I wanted to get out of there. I heard Picky running up the stairs again.

"I'll need your bad key machine for the shed out back," He said.

"What are you going to do with this room?" I asked him.

"You'll see," He said.

"Why don't you tell me?" I asked.

"Don't feel like it," He said, shrugging, walking down the stairs again; motioning me to come with him. I closed the door behind me, feeling a cold chill rushing to my shoulders after walking away from the room.

---

Outside, the sun was already on its last stretch to touch land. Their back yard wasn't any better. It was nothing but weeded dirt and garbage, littered here and there. It was a dump! The toy pool to the side was damaged, old and torn. The tree wasn't dead but it had seen better days from what I could see. And then there was the shed, which beyond me, happened to be important as well. It was a plain cream; door hinges rusted in bright red crust. The roof was old and rickety; I wasn't sure whether it could hold up in the next rainfall. So what was so important about this shed anyways?

Using the Bad Key machine I managed to pop the lock open with a snap- making the top half of the door fall out of line. Picky pushed the door open, only to step back from the collective dust that filled our nostrils as we literally coughed to death. When we could breathe once more, Picky tried opening the door carefully. My eyes widened slightly.

It looked to be another room. Posters covered the walls as well as drawings of the Flying Man. The old rusty looking bed was covered in burnt trash and junk-no… it looked as if someone had tried setting the whole thing on fire once taking another step back to observe the shed, but from the inside out. Who would have done this?

"Pokey tried burning his things before moving away," Picky finally said. "Apparently he didn't want anyone, like us, going through his stuff once he left. I always questioned his motives, but I'm starting to catch onto what's going on, even if it's unbearably confusing to me still." I paused for a moment, taking a piece of lined paper with old math equations off the floor.

"I see… why did he have two rooms?" I asked.

"Whenever he and dad fought, he was sent out here, until Pokey enjoyed it out here more than living in the house," He finally said. Something clicked in my mind.

"Then this…"

"What?"

"…Nothing," I said. Picky looked at me strangely then shrugged again. He liked shrugging a lot it seemed. I looked around the small shed again, seeing all of the random novelties around the room, either set up or thrown down on the ground.

"It has to be here somewhere…" He mumbled, looking in the crack of the old mattress on the floor.

"You don't think he would have taken this… thing would you?" I asked.

"Nah, he didn't take anything, and if he would have it would have been a single yo-yo," He replied. My eyebrow perked up.

"A yo-yo?" How strange I thought.

"Just guessing," he said. When I looked at the pictures both on the ceiling and the walls, held up by chewed gum, I spotted another drawing, similar to the one in Ness's notebook. A drawn picture of the both of them, bound by the phrase "BFF" in large, capital letters.

"You can go back to Ness's if you want, there's nothing for you to do here anyways," He told me.

"But are you sure you'll be fine here digging through his stuff by yourself?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's no sweat, I'll find it eventually, hopefully by the time you guys leave tomorrow. May I borrow your Bad Key Machine though during the time?" He asked. I looked at the machine and placed it on the bed.

"Go right ahead," I said.

"Kay, I'll be over for dinner," He said. "See you then." Taking one final look at the poster above my head, I walked out.

"See ya."

---

The house seemed a bit quiet, but the smell of garlic and seasoned steak filled the air. It started to make me hungry; god knew I hadn't had a real meal since forever. It felt weird, but nice to know that such a thing would be offered tonight. Realizing, after a couple more sips of my now cold bitter tea, I got up to use the restroom, only to find that it was already occupied. So I decided to walk upstairs to find the other restroom, which was vacant. I could hear murmurs from the room right across from it; sounded like girl's gossip to me, something I wasn't used to hearing except in events at schools that required both sex Snow Wood Academies.

The bathroom, while overall was a little hectic from girl products, was kept clean and sanitary. Soon washing my hands, I examined my face again, only to squint at myself, placing my fingertips at the cheek that Ness practically bitch-slapped. My jaw started dropping.

_Am I seeing a pink in-print of Ness's hand plastered on my cheek? _I thought to myself. It was barely visible, but I could have sworn. I decided to ignore its presence and walked out the door.

And once I did, a skittish Ness had almost bumped into me, with an arm full of clean laundry.

"Oh hi…" Ness said, sounding slightly startled. I somehow sounded a bit startled myself.

"Hi… did you need in here?" I asked. Ness nodded.

"Yeah, just to take a shower," He replied. Both of us paused there, just standing in the bath door way. What were we doing?

"Do you need anything, or is everything going alright at the moment?" He asked; eyes downcast away from me. I shook my head.

"I'm fine, but thanks," I replied. What was ironic was that there were many things I needed to say, but nothing could find its way past my lips. Maybe he felt the same way.

"Well… shower time for me," He said chuckling nervously. I became more aware as I got out of his way.

"Yes of course, sorry about that," I replied. Ness slipped by, rather quickly to shut the door behind him. _That felt like an awkward moment_, I thought. About to walk downstairs to my small couch to read, I was interrupted by a girl walking up the stairs, who had wavy brown hair tied to the side of her hair. She wore yellow shorts and a white blouse shirt. She seemed surprised to see me. She looked away, slightly and swiftly paced by me to walk into what seemed to be Tracy's room. Opening the door however was Paula, with her hair made into a long braid that wrapped around her neck.

"Oh hi Jeff," She smiled. "What are you doing?" She asked. There wasn't much I had to say to her really.

"Nothing… much," I blushed slightly. Suddenly I heard Tracy's voice inside the room.

"Paula drag him in here for a moment," She said. Paula looked in the room embarrassingly.

"What, why?" She said until Tracy opened the door.

"Hey you, get in here, I wanna talk to you," She said, pointing in her room. I gave her a quizzical look.

Soon enough, I was sitting on the floor, cross-legged in a room with three other girls, something I _definitely_ haven't done, if ever. For some reason, I could feel my cheeks flush slightly, feeling almost less dominant in this new territory of pink and yellow flower patterned pale pink walls with band posters covering them. One happened to be a poster of The Runaway Five, hell I even saw a poster of Lady Venus. And by her window, by my amazement was a photo from what looked to be from a magazine, or Paula Polestar in front of what looked like a Pre-School. The pink and purple bed had fuzzy pillows covering the top half and the setting sun glowed through her window.

"Nice… erm… room," I said. Tracy smiled, laying on her bed, looking down at Paula, the other girl and I.

"You sound sarcastic," She said.

"Well it's just… bright is all," I replied. "I'm not used to it," I nervously chuckled. Paula giggled, sitting next to me.

"So… why am I in here again?" I asked looking down.

"Is that a hand print I see on your cheek?" Tracy asked. I flushed.

"Wha-"

"Yeah, it looks like someone smacked you hard across the face or something," She continued. The other girl looked at me.

"Did you just break up with a girl or something?" The other girl asked. I immediately replied.

"No no, it's nothing like that, I just… leaned my hand against my cheek for too long that's all," I started laughing, as so did Paula. When I remembered Paula knew the real deal, something clicked in my mind that made me quite nervous. Tracy 'hmmed.'

"Nah, I think someone slapped you, it's written all over your face," She smirked. I flushed slightly. Paula started laughing even more now.

"Oh be quiet…" I said looking down in embarrassment. Both of the other girls started giggling.

"Did you do it Paula? What did you do?" She started asking.

"Haha, no it wasn't me-"She said.

"Did you and Ness get into a fight or something?" The other girl, who I assumed was Kaitlin asked suddenly.

"No, no no," I said again.

"Ness slapped you?" Tracy asked. I looked down in defeat; I was sure my cheeks were bright magenta by then. God, why did I feel so embarrassed then? The two girls made an odd sound.

"Holy god, he did slap you… oh my god _haha_," Tracy started laughing.

"Wait, how'd you make him mad then?" Kaitlin asked. Paula, thankfully, went into my defense.

"No, it was all a misunderstanding you see, he didn't… uhh," Paula couldn't really continue.

"Haha, we can't see the print anymore, your face is as pink as my pillow!" She started laughing as she tossed her pillow to the other girl. I turned my head away from everyone.

"How long are you going to keep embarrassing me?" I asked. Tracy laughed.

"I think it's cute when you blush Jeff," Paula finally said. My eyes drifted over to Paula as both of the other girls 'awwed.' I could only sigh and ruffle Paula's head with my hand.

"How'd you make him mad?" Tracy asked, suddenly interested. I looked up to my right, both trying to think and to try and avoid the situation.

"Uhhh… I…"

"What he do Paula?" She asked. All the sudden Paula sat up straight feeling as if she was on the spot light.

"Uhhh… it was just a misunderstanding," She said, trying to avoid it. I sighed.

"Why am I in here?" I asked again, only to feel my glasses get taken away.

"Hey, give those back!" I said, flailing my arms around like an idiot. "I need those!"

"She's right; you have pretty eyes as well. That's so strange…" She said. "When I look into Paula's eyes I start laughing for some reason. I wonder what my reaction will be to you?" She said handing back my glasses. Something popped in my head then.

"Wait, what do you mean?" I said looking at Tracy straight in the eye. For a moment, all she could do was just stare at me. I raised an eyebrow at her. Suddenly, Tracy jumped up startled, looking away.

"You're weird…" I finally said.

"No, your _eyes_ are weird! Look at them Kaitlin!" She said. However, she shook her head and declined.

"No, I saw them in the hall… it's hard to look into them for a while," She said. I gave both of them an odd look.

"What do you feel like when you look at me then?" I asked them. I could hear Demetri on the back of my mind talking about the special eyes to seek 'evil.'

"Just… like my mind is being invaded or figured out," Tracy said, sitting on the far end of her bed, hugging her pillow. "I might like looking at you from afar, but it's freaky when you look at me!" She finally said. I chuckled, slightly embarrassed. _Was that an insult or a hit on? _I thought.

"Haha, Tracy, remember when Vanessa went out with Ness and she said she couldn't look at him for very long either?" She said. Shocking news for me then, as I suddenly looked up to them suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Ness had a girlfriend?" Paula asked giggling. Tracy snorted.

"Yeah for like a week but he soon broke up with her. They didn't have much going on between them," She laughed. "Nonetheless, that was the only person he really went out with anyways. Jeez, he had more fun playing with his yo-yo or doodling in his book with Pokey than hang with many girls. Nonetheless they met through me anyways," Tracy explained. I sighed. _Was it in relief?_

"Yeah, your brother is a nice looking guy it's surprising that he doesn't get out much…" Kaitlin said.

"Well excluding you two at least. He did seem excited to meet you at least Paula, for like a week, you were the only person he'd talk about and he _still_ hadn't met you yet!" She said, yawning.

"But now, or at least what I've seen of him, he's not the happy energetic Ness I knew when we were young. He used to be so happy, but now all he does here is mope around and sleep," She said. I sighed.

"There are many reasons why he could be sad. You probably know more than me, but I think it has to do with what's just been happening to us lately…" I explained.

"And let me guess, you two can't tell us what you three have been doing away from your homes?" She asked. There was a moment of silence as I looked down to the ground. Eventually Tracy sighed.

"Well… whatever it is, as long as my brother laughs through it and has a good time with you guys, I don't mind," She finally said. Paula smiled, nudging me.

"Maybe he'll find the right girl for her along the way," Kaitlin commented. Something in my stomach felt weird from those words. Tracy blew air in between her closed lips.

"Ness? I'm really starting to think he's gay," She said. My face flushed slightly. Kaitlin laughed.

"Gay?" Paula asked. I kept silent.

"If not gay, at least bi," Tracy finished, looking at me.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" She said in a convincing tone. I gulped slightly. Suddenly, out of all of our surprises and to my luck, the door opened, but who was at the door made me look the other way, almost instantly.

"Hey, mom wants you to help wash dishes later…" Ness said trailing off, looking at all of us in the room. There was a pause.

"What are you doing in here Jeff?" He asked with slight annoyance in his tone.

"I wanted him to come in here," Tracy replied, filing her nails. Ness frowned. He looked like he wanted to argue back, but didn't. He eventually sighed.

"Why don't you come in and join us then?" Tracy asked, smiling slightly. Ness shook his head.

"Nah… my head hurts. Just keep it down for me please," He said, closing the door behind him. Yet again, another moment of silence. Tracy sighed.

"I'm worried about him… he never talks like he used to," Tracy pouted slightly. Yet again, we all sat there in silence. Maybe this was a good time for me to leave, I thought.

"I'll see you guys when it's dinner," I said, getting up to my feet and walking out of the room.

---

_Should I or should I not?_ I thought to myself, looking down the hall to where Ness's room resided. I wasn't sure how long I stood in the hallway, just letting my sock covered toes roam the wood floor below me while my senses soaked in the delicious flavor of garlic and seasonings from downstairs. When I heard the three girls in their room talking again, I finally walked down the hall.

Ness's door had a poster of a famous baseball player, or at least I assumed it was Ness's room. My hand went to the handle, but my mind told me it would have been better to knock before barging in. I knocked once, hearing the sound of stirring covers behind the door. Eventually there was silence. So I knocked again.

"Who is it?" Ness said in a tired tone.

"It's me Jeff, can I come in?" I said. A pause.

"Yeah…" Slowly opening the door, I was starting to question my motives. Why was I now going into Ness's room and what did I even want to tell him?

His room was dark-ish considering all the lights were out, but the little bit of light that came through the window kept the room slightly lit up to where I could see clearly around the room. Ness's room was similar to Picky's, but with less black and heavy metal sprawled about. His room instead consisted more of sporty things, including a few baseball bats here and there and a baseball glove by the door. When I found Ness sitting up in his bed, he was dressed in more casual clothing; hatless. He was looking down on the floor, wiggling his feet.

"What do you want?" He asked me.

"Can I sit?" I asked. Ness grunted slightly, moving over on his bed so I could sit next to him. And then we just sat there in silence.

"Sorry… about today," I told him. "… I acted like a complete jerk to you… you were only trying to help me back there. And you still are by providing me with a safe roof to sleep under for the night…" I told him. "I'm just a puke-sack, you know that pretty well by now," I chuckled. Ness chuckled slightly.

"Well… I didn't like how you swatted the mug out of my hand," He said. "But that isn't an excuse for me to slap you hard across the face was it?" He asked.

"Yeah it was actually," I replied. Ness laughed a little.

"Well was that all you came in here for?" He asked yawning.

"Dunno actually," I replied. Ness shifted slightly.

"You don't know why you came in here?" He asked. I tried hard to think of a better way to reply.

"Not really… maybe to get away from the world like you are. But you need your time to yourself, so I'll let you go," I said, starting to get to my feet, only to be halted by a hand on my right shoulder, pushing me back down on the bed in my previous position.

"No… you can stay if you want" He said. I didn't have much to say then though, as we basically just sat there in quiet.

"… My father and I fought. That was why I was so bitter with everyone earlier," I finally said. Ness looked up to me, but I kept my eyes to the floor.

"It's been plaguing me all this time… since I've lived that man has been plaguing my life. And the fact that he admitted… _hating_ me… you didn't deserve how I treated you… the way he treated me," I said. "An honestly, I wish I had the courage to go up and… slap my own dad across the face, though that just seems stupid in my case but perfect in ours," I chuckled. Ness still sat there quietly.

"I'm… sorry…" He eventually said. I grunted.

"Hmm? Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything, you never did," I said.

"I… slapped you?" He started laughing. "I couldn't help but notice my hand print across your cheek, ha ha," Ness started laughing. I sighed.

"… Well besides that, but there's no need to apologize for that, I needed it," I said.

"Oh…" He said. I sighed.

"Well I'll be getting out of your hair now," I said getting up again, only to be halted once more by his hand on my shoulder. And once more I sat by him on his bed.

"I thought you wanted to sleep," I told him.

"I did…" He said. I chuckled.

"Then I want to let you sleep," I told him.

"I don't want you to let me sleep," Ness said.

"Why?"

"I dunno…" This was hopeless and was going nowhere.

"So you just want to sit here and do nothing?" I asked.

"Pretty much," He replied.

"Okay…" There was a moment of pause again.

"You have a big selection of baseball cards over there," I said.

"Yeah I guess…" Another pause.

"I'm… remember when we ran into Frank today in the streets?" Ness asked.

"The man in the shades? Yes I remember him, what about it?" I asked. Ness pondered slightly.

"He said that I had a lot of courage before but now he said I looked like I had none," Ness explained.

"A lot has happened that he didn't know. You were tired and you still are," I said. Ness 'hmmed' slightly.

"… I'm scared of what'll happen next…" He said. My eyes widened slightly.

"We almost lost Paula… I'd go crazy without her at the moment. She's the only person that's seemingly identical to me. And… I dunno, recently I feel like someone is going to die and I'll fail to prevent it… or if something really bad happens and it's all my fault because I failed something, and…" I cut him off slightly by putting my hand on his shoulder now. Ness looked up to me surprised slightly.

"A lot has happened to us, yes. Honestly, I'm afraid like you… though I really can't expect what'll await us in Summers. Nonetheless, we still need to meet one more person to make our team a whole. But… I dunno how or what is keeping me here, maybe it's you and Paula. But… I guess to sum things up for you… when you started this journey, did you realize how big it was going to be? And yet you still decided to step up and take the challenge, no matter how scary it looked. It's still a mystery to me what really sparked your travels, but being able to start it was something I could have never done all by myself. After all, it was your voices from far away I was trying to follow to get here. And now look at us… we've done a lot; we still do. But… we're still alive and thriving, right? Maybe the courage Frank saw in you before was replaced by a different kind of courage, one in which you're afraid, but you'll still face anything in order to help and protect others. … I wish I was more like you, I really do. Maybe things between my father and I would have been settled differently if I would have stood up more to the plate and took my own blame. I was just-"

Ness by this time put his hand onto my own on the bed as I was cut off in mid sentence. When I looked at him, he smiled back at me.

"You talk way too much you know that?" Ness laughed lightly. I blushed slightly, feeling silent for a moment.

"Thank you…" He said looking down. For some reason, I paid attention to the settle sparkle in his eyes from the low density light from outside. After hearing Demetri again in my head and Tracy's blabbering, I finally asked something I was meaning to ask for a while.

"Ness?"

"Hmm?"

"… Can you do me a favor? Or could I ask you something?" I asked. Ness paused for a moment.

"Like what?" I paused for a moment.

"… What do you see when you look into my eyes?" I asked. Ness shifted slightly towards me as I let my eyes look at him sideways.

"I… I dunno…" He replied. I sighed, thinking back at all the cruel things Demetri had spoken of.

"Well…" I said, shifting towards him a little bit. Realizing the awkwardness in the air made my heart flutter slightly as I tried looking at him in the eye.

"What do you see now then?" I asked in a lower tone than I had wanted. Ness paused as he looked at me. I felt like looking away, but I bit the inside of my lip to keep me from doing so.

"Wha… why?" He asked; tone hushed and unsure.

"Damn it… Ness I need to know… it has to do with many things… many things I'm trying to figure out…" Ness finally looked me fully in the eyes, in silence and confusion. And there we were, in his bedroom just staring at each other's eyes. It started to feel like the time he accidentally fell on me back at the hostel, I thought to myself.

…

…

Eventually, all of my words and thought were lost as I watched what looked like the Milky Way, swirl around in his deep blue-violet silver eyes. Something sparked, and it triggered some of my deepest darkest thoughts to feel present in my mind. _Love… Hate… Glutton… Desire… Lust…_ for many things in my life that, in all honesty, was too good for me to obtain.

… I didn't know how long it took, but soon enough, when our noses brushed slightly, I could feel the static electricity travel down my spine again. We flinched, but neither of us moved away. Eyes becoming too clouded in deep blue-silver, I eventually closed them; feeling soft, warm, shaky breath against my lips.

…_ A knock at the door._

It happened so fast as that sound rung my ear drums as I felt a soft, but forceful object fly and slap me on the opposite side of my head from the already slapped cheek. I yelped slightly, feeling my breath shoot out of my lungs for some reason as I lost my balance almost instantly, falling, head-first onto the floor below Ness's bed.

"Hey Ness, it's Picky. Your mom says it's time for dinner," He said. Ness sounded silent at first as I tried collecting myself from the heart-pounding trauma.

"O-okay, tell her I'll be down in just a moment," he replied. Finally I looked up at Ness, who looked to be in a state of shock, looking down blankly at me with wide eyes and a flushed face. His hand was clutched to the pillow he must have hit me with on the bed.

"S-s-sorry, I'll meet you downstairs," He said with a shaky voice, getting up and rushing out of the room without me. My heart was still pounding. _Were we really…? _ When attempting to get to my feet, my hand rested on something small, plastic and slightly round. Lifting my hand to see the object, I paused.

A simple red yo-yo sat in the presence of my eyesight as I picked the small toy up, immediately realizing that the two wheels on the side were too loose, and fiddling with just my hands alone, it was impossible to tighten the wheels back up again. I fiddled with the small red toy until I heard someone calling my name from bellow. I eventually sighed in defeat, still feeling my heart fluttering, as I stuck the small toy in my pocket and headed downstairs.

---

Everyone was downstairs in the kitchen by the time I made it. The counter was set up sort of like a buffet where you could take what you wanted, and everyone walked outside to eat while the sun was still barely lighting up the young night sky. I stood behind Picky apparently as he claimed a baked potato on his plate. Looking down the counter, there was baked potatoes and baked carrots as well as coleslaw and salad. Of course at the end was a good sized juicy steak that Ness took about a quarter of as he left quickly. Was he trying to avoid me now? I took about a half of the potato in front of me, and a few of everything else. It all looked so good; it was too bad I wasn't much in the mood to eat after what had happened.

"Hmm that's strange. Ness takes at least half of the whole steak…" Tracy said watching him walk out the back door into the back yard. Picky shrugged as he took a tiny bit of coleslaw while Paula in front of him claimed a bit of salad and a slice of steak. I walked out of the kitchen into the back yard behind Tracy and Kaitlin, who were yakking about something I didn't know.

Outside, there were a bunch of patio chairs gathered around in a circle. There was a lantern that hung from the patio roof that kept the place lit slightly. Ness was already sitting by his mom and Tracy decided to sit right next to him with Kaitlin. I decided to just take the chair that was besides Debbie, looking back into the kitchen through the screen door. Picky was speaking to Paula.

"What is he doing?" Ness questioned, setting aside his plate to go into the kitchen to talk to them. However, Debbie halted him and told him to sit back down. Ness sighed in defeat and annoyance.

"I think he's giving something back to her," I said. Debbie smiled.

"How sweet of little Picky, I've never seen him do nice things like that, or at least since before his family broke up," She said. Ness was silent, picking at his steak.

"You know, Picky used to be the quiet one but now he's turned into the annoyingly obnoxious one," Tracy commented.

"No, I still think you're the annoyingly obnoxious one Tracy," Ness said, pointing his fork at her. Tracy huffed.

"Says who, _steak druggie_," She replied.

"Kids not when we have guests here," She said as Paula and Picky finally walked outside and chose their seats, finally forming a circle on the patio.

"So Paula, do people recognize you everywhere or what?" Tracy said. Paula laughed.

"Not really… thankfully," She replied.

"You family does a good thing for the preschool down there in Twoson, Paula. Even some of the young kids here in Onett look up to you," She said taking a sip of her drink. Paula seemingly looked flattered as she waved a hand in front of her.

"No no, I'm sure they look up to my parents more than me, I'm just there occasionally," She told her. I smiled.

"Don't be silly Paula, there's many people out in the world that look up to you. Heck, even I look up to you sometimes, so don't doubt yourself," I told her.

"That's right Paula, I mean couldn't you tell how excited I was to see you again? Everyone knows you," Tracy commented. Debbie giggled.

"Ness was so anxious to meet up with you too," She said. I could tell Ness gulped down too big of a bite of his steak after hearing that statement. Paula could only giggle.

"Well thank you all…" She said. Debbie took another bite.

"And what about you Jeff? How did you end up meeting with my son and Paula?" She suddenly asked. I suddenly had done the same, chocking on a piece of lettuce. This was going to be hard I thought, how was I supposed to keep my identity a secret? I gulped.

"Well I…"

"You used the train up in Winters, didn't you?" Ness suddenly asked. I looked at him, slightly confused. Through his eyes, I could tell that he wanted me to act along.

"Yeah… I used the train up there. There's not many other ways to travel up there, the roads are almost always covered in snow," I said.

"Why did you live up there Jeff?" Kaitlin asked.

"Well… I've been going to a boarding school up there… best in its nation. My family wanted me to get a good education," I said, inwardly cringing about the family lie.

"What's your field of interest then Jeff?" Debbie asked. I looked to the side.

"Well I… I really like rocketry, but in all honesty I don't know if I'd be good enough for that kind of job. So I might look into mechanical engineering instead," I said. Debbie 'ahhed.'

"You know, I bet someday maybe if you do go into rocketry, you'll become a wonderful assistant of Dr. A-"

"AAAHH!" Everyone flinched slightly at Paula's sudden interruption. As the silence grew, Paula fidgeted more and more.

"Ahhh… erm… I really liked your salad and steak Debbie, may I have some more? I'm sorry…" She blushed. I knew just then that she really wasn't hungry for more. It was a distraction to get her off of the course of what she was about to say.

"Why certainly Paula, go right ahead," She smiled.

"Thank you so much!" She said, almost bolting back into the kitchen. I sighed.

"What was I saying again?" Debbie suddenly asked. When Tracy was about to speak up, Picky suddenly interrupted her.

"Thank you for taking me back home Ness," Picky spoke up. _God, even he?_ I thought to myself. Ness looked up slightly.

"It was nothing," He replied.

"Picky you should know, how was Pokey doing?" Tracy asked. Suddenly the air shifted in the conversation, towards a territory that Ness didn't want to go in.

"Eh… alright? He's fine, that's all," Picky lied. _So much lying, how long were we to keep it up? _I thought. Tracy looked over to Ness, who was silently chewing his last slice of steak.

"Oh yes, of course," She spoke.

"Well whatever you kids are doing, just be careful. Even if I do trust, even all of you," Debbie spoke. "And be careful when talking to stranger; don't let one of you be isolated from the rest, stick together as a group. I'll always be here if you three need a place to rest," Debbie said. "Who knows, maybe you three will meet some wonderful people, maybe people you haven't seen in years," She said.

"Oh yeah Ness remember? Maybe you'll finally run into-"

"GOD," Ness suddenly spoke loudly, standing up in a hurry, then froze.

"… God? Are you religious?" Kaitlin asked suddenly.

"No no no, I meant… uhh… ummm…" Ness looked at all of us nervously. When his eyes met mine, he froze stiff again.

"I… thanks for dinner mom; that was delicious as always!" He said before bolting out of there. We were all silent.

"Did I scare him?" Tracy asked. I frowned as I watched him put his plate away and walk out of sight. I bit my lip. _I didn't just scar him back there… right?_ No… no, something else was happening. Something I didn't even know of.

"Debbie, this dinner was amazing, I've never had a good home cooked meal like this. Thank you," I told her, standing up.

"You're welcome… did you want anymore?" She asked. I rubbed the back of my head.

"Nah, I'm full actually. I'm gonna take a shower if that's okay with you, and then I think I'll head off to bed. Debbie giggled and smiled.

"Well then good night handsome. Sleep well, see you in the morning," She said. I flushed slightly, thinking that she was poking more fun at the palm on my face rather than being serious.

"G-good night," I said. Paula walked back outside with another plate.

"Night Paula… thanks…" I told her. I could feel her blue eyes on my back as I walked inside.

"Good night…" She said perplexed.

---

I was slightly grateful once I let the warm water of the showerhead soak all of my troubles away. Tonight, all in all was interesting, and I almost forgot about the drama I had with father or the embarrassing moments I had in Tracy's room, or even when…

I let my mind avoid that part. My thoughts instead trailed to dinner and all the interruptions. It seemed like everyone was trying to get things to not be said. I didn't know how to thank Paula for pausing Debbie- even though she had no idea. Most of all though…

"_Oh yeah Ness remember? Maybe you'll finally run into-"_

Just who was she referring to anyways? Was there someone else? _Did Ness know someone he never told me about?_ I let the hot water run through my scalp, trying to figure that strange boy out even more, until finally I flushed.

Once I reminded myself of _that_, it stuck to my mind like a magnet. The more I tried avoiding it, the more I rubbed at my scalp, trying to scrub the thoughts away. I shivered once the thoughts felt almost real again.

"Gaah were we _that_ close to each other?!" I asked myself in a hushed tone. I should have known back in the hostel, his eyes were so easy to get lost into. I had an odd sense for desire; desire without care. It was an odd feeling that at the same time felt wrong… but it felt so right. When I realized even more and even more of what happened, I finally growled in frustration.

"Think of something else, something you like now… science… rockets… mom… _Tony,"_ My eyes snapped open slightly as I thought of my one true friend that was still awaiting my return back in Winters.

"God damn it Tony, he better not have hurt you…" I started mumbling. I tried remembering all of our times together, and while some were still clear and solid as diamond, some of them were faint. It almost scared me, how even as I thought of Tony's golden smile, Ness's silvery eyes faded in and out of my memories. And then soon memories of the-

I slammed my fist against the shower brick wall, leaning my forehead against it.

"_Fuck_… when did I start _thinking_ about him like this?" I grumbled to myself. I started thinking of the next time I'd run into Tony. How would I explain it to him?

"I thought I had something growing on only you but apparently not…" I barely spoke. "You understand Tony… don't you?" I knew it was a selfish question. I couldn't say that Tony felt the same way, but judging back in time, there was a high possibility of that. What would he do or say if I had something going on with Ness? I knew he had a heart of gold but still…

And I wonder if Ness even meant for that to happen? Hmmm… Eyes of silver and a heart of gold…

I punched myself mentally, turning the faucet off.

_This is so ridiculous… _

---

By the time I dried off and walked downstairs, the kitchen light was still on and I heard Ness talking to someone. Trying to be quiet and avoiding, I tip toed to the couch that happened to be not too far from the kitchen. I could look around the backrest of the sofa to look into the kitchen, where I could see Ness talking to his mother, head hung low and eyes slightly hidden. I couldn't hear what either of them was saying; Ness's tone was low and muffled. I turned around and tucked my knees to my chest, trying to listen carefully for certain words. Hearing phrases that included 'scared' or 'confusing' made me wonder what they were saying. I just hoped it had nothing to do with what had just happened in Ness's room. Finally, I could hear the sound of Ness's sniffling.

"I don't understand… why does he _hate_ me so much now?" He said. Was he talking about Pokey? There was a small pause before Debbie spoke in a comforting tone.

"Maybe he doesn't hate you… maybe he's acting rash against you for different reasons, reasons he doesn't want to show the people he cares for the most," She replied. I took this into account. After all, his words still spoke into my mind like a crystal ball.

"_Ness? Why would I ever want to kill a beautiful creature such as Ness?"_ He said in my memories. I leaned my chin onto my knees.

"I… I don't know what to do next…" I could barely hear Ness mumble.

"You're tired Ness, you've had a long rough time, take it easy tonight and get some rest," She said. There was a pause again, until I could finally hear him hiding his bellowing.

"_I'm scared… mom…"_ He wept. I could finally hear a few movements from the kitchen, and by looking around the sofa, Debbie was embracing her son with comfort and sincerity. She stroked his black hair, calming him down with the sound of her shushing.

"Shhh… let your mind go tonight and sleep. _You deserve it, my little brave son_," She said. I watched the two of them hold each other while feeling a different emotion stir up into my stomach, something I hadn't felt in years. I turned around to finally lie on my back, staring up at the ceiling with my glasses still on. I frowned.

"You have no idea how lucky you are to have her…" My lips formed. Soon enough, I could sense the embrace break apart and I waited as the both of them walked upstairs, turning out the kitchen light and leaving me in my own little pit of darkness. I don't know why, but I left my glasses on that night, my mind wandered again. So many things, yet again, had happened to me that day.

And soon enough, I let the memories of my angry dad, my comforting mother, and the feeling of Ness millimeters away from my lips lure me to sleep.


	19. All for the Sake of Friendship

A/N: _Thanks to Orkidee, Red, Konoha's Kage, DevirouBa, Angel and on DA, HyrulePirate for reviewing/ giving your feedback on the story so far! X3 You guys are awesome! (Thumbs up)_

_To answer your two questions Red, for the part where the gang was laughing at Jeff, I tried foreshadowing the fact that Ness's slap to his cheek was starting to show a mark, but I probably didn't illustrate that enough. And for your question about if Picky threw the yo-yo in there or not, no in fact, he didn't throw the yo-yo in there. You'll find out in this chapter a little bit more about the yo-yo that I hope helps a little. :3_

_So I did have a small writers block in the beginning of the chapter, after the intro, because I couldn't make that area more interesting, I dunno. Like in most of my chapters, important things happen, including the finding of something that will be realllly important as the story grows for a certain character. (You'll know who as this chapter progresses)_

_I do have one warning though for this chapter, and it is in fact in the intro itself. You… you'll see what happens… o3o;; (hides in a hole and blushes)_

_Hopefully there aren't too many errors I overlooked. Anyways, hopefully I did alright with this, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!_

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_It was dark outside as I sat alone in Maxwell's classroom. Not that it was nighttime, but it was just dark and stormy outside. I looked up at the clock, which had been missing ever since I even noticed. I looked down at my palm before I was about to rub my eye. Everything seemed hazy and out of place._

_Something… something didn't…_

_The door swung open, and running in was not only Tony but Paula? And why did they…_

_By the time they were right in front of me, I was baffled at their gigantic appearance. What was going on? Paula was crying, and Tony ran his fingers though his hair._

_"Tony? What's going on…?" I managed to say, trying not to be intimidated by their size._

_"Jeff, we need to get you out of here; they're coming after you right now!" He said, reaching his hand out towards me. I flinched as I was seemingly lifted in the air. Heart pounding; I finally managed to reach my arms out in front of me… only to touch a flat surface in return. I froze._

_… was I in another glass container? Oh god…_

_**BANG-CRASH-BOOM!**_

_Paula and Tony were seemingly helpless as something crashed through the ceiling of our school. Tony held the jar; I was in close to his chest as the air cleared up. I gawked at the even bigger, monstrous, and hairy gorilla standing before us, wearing a red tie nonetheless. Punching its massive chest and roaring its cry, my entire being shook as the creature lunged before us._

_"__**Tony! Paula!**__" I yelled. Tony yelped as he was forcefully knocked to the ground while Paula fled the scene without a second thought. This couldn't be real, I thought as my jar rolled pathetically on the classroom tile floor. Before I knew it, before I could blink, I was picked up by another._

_This creature seemed to be what they called a furry, a red fox, standing like a human, wearing the clothing of a jet pilot. He held up what looked to be a laser gun at the gorilla. And before I knew it, tension was filling the air. I frantically looked around me- what happened to Tony?! He seemed to be nowhere in sight anymore from what I could tell._

_Looking back at the two, the gorilla flared up his nostrils while the fox seemingly taunted him, swishing his tail in the process. _

_**ROAR!**_

_The tension shattered instantly as another battle cry ripped through the air in the distance. The gorilla suddenly fled out into the ceiling where it came from. My heart started to pound._

_**STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!**_

_The fox held my container closely underneath his arm; as I could see the many individual hairs rub against my glass; it was hard to see where we were headed as he started running out of the classroom._

_I wasn't sure how long it took before he made a sharp halt, but when he did, he started to sprint again, only in a different direction. The stomping was so loud that I thought my ears would burst. And in the bit of visible glass, I could see it- what everyone was running from. _

_It was big, and bright magenta, and its teeth wound around its jaw like a wreath; all of those sharp individual teeth I thought. I couldn't get much more detail out of it. Finally, the fox seemingly found his way out of my school, and when his arm lifted slightly so I could see the snow of Winters, there was none._

_A giant city. We were downtown, in a trash-written city I was unaware about. What happened to Winters- where did it go? My eyes went wide as we passed by a poster, and eventually a statue of what looked to be what now seemed to be my new nemesis in my life._

_"Pokey…" The name passed my lips silently as I was startled once more, being suddenly flung out of the fox's arms, only to be ended up in another's grasp. It was around this time when it started raining; I could hear the thunder from afar… or was that the great magenta monster back in my school?_

_Anyways, I was held over the head of someone who… in all honesty had no actual 'head' to begin with. His body was perfectly round, and if he had a face, it was covered seemingly with a mask. Yellow eyes glowed through the mask as he held out his golden sword. Two bat-like wings extended out around him. It was time to say goodbye to the fox, lying on the ground as we launched in the air._

_By this time, the rain clashed against the glass, as it was almost impossible to see now. Another roar in the distance… echoing the cries in the dark sky. My stomach turned slightly; all of this running in each direction, nonetheless the running rain water around me was starting to make me feel queasy. I braced myself; who was I to be in the grasp of next? Or better off, who would be the first to release me? God, I felt like one of those fictional creatures that could fit into pockets that every kid wanted to collect._

_A flash._

_Was it lightning? Yes… no? I couldn't tell._

_Another flash. No… it wasn't lightning, there was no thunder to follow behind. The flashing was so near…_

_The winged creature that had held me hostage in the air had finally managed to yelp in surprise, making me slip out of his grasp finally. The realization hit as I saw the distance between us grew rapidly; I was falling. Was I to die? If so… why wasn't I screaming? Why-_

_And then it stopped. Another cry roared in the distance- bellowing and ripping through my ears during the moment of pause. Then a voice. A familiar one… As a giant hand rubbed the glass clear again, I was rotated to a face I expected to see. Only, it was that egotistical one; intimidated expression replaced with dominance and power. Darker if you will._

_Ness's dark bangs covered part of his eyes and the purple hat he wore to the side had covered part of his forehead. Water dripped from his bangs, from his nose, to the glass that confined me trapped. A devilish smirk crossed his features. I gulped in return, looking back up at him._

_Then there was that beastly roar again, working in harmony with the storm. I stuttered violently again._

_"What's wrong? You don't have anything to fear… you know that," Ness said, in a lower tone. _

_"Then why do I feel so threatened all the sudden?" I spoke, voice shaken and barely visible. Ness reached out._

_"If there's anything you should fear… it would be me. You're mine now," He said darkly, grinning as he opened the glass container, un-doing whatever spell kept me inside the glass. But once I could feel myself gaining back my normal size-_

_**BANG-BANG-STOMP! **_

_I shook suddenly, almost falling flat onto my face, only being prevented by the strange Ness's hand grappling my shoulder, and halting me upwards. Now that I could see, we were in a dark alley. In the rain. And the giant pink winged monster was right before us, staring right at us. I exhaled a shaky puff of breath. Pearly white teeth, stained in blood glared back at us as it growled in a low tone. I glanced sideways to the Ness who had just seemingly released me. He was grinning like no tomorrow._

_"You can run if you want. Just don't expect to get away," He told me, holding up his bat._

_"You mean… no matter…" I started to say. However, he didn't let me finish as he ran foolishly and boldly towards the magenta beast. And once the creature screamed again, my instincts told me to flee- run for dear life._

_Why did it feel like the more I ran, the weaker I became? It was like running was all I could do, and if there was nowhere to run to, I was doomed. Was this what a damsel in distress felt like when she was in trouble? I ran as far as the streets would let me, running out of the way of other strange beings that were foolishly fighting; on the tops of these buildings for God's sake. I kept distancing myself from everyone; I could feel their greedily eyes on me. Especially the magenta beast. Especially Ness._

_Then my doom came to me, running into a brick wall. The alley's walls surrounded and trapped me. All I could do was lean against the wall, trying to steady down my heart beat. The monster's cries, at the very grateful least, seemed distant. I decided to let off a sigh. Turning around however, I jumped slightly, facing the leering presence of Ness, right smack in front of me. Damn, how couldn't I hear him approaching me? He seemed so close… Yet he still inched closer to me._

_"What-" The evil smirk on his face only grew as he took another step closer, all until I was pressed up against the back alley wall, cornered. Helpless. Why was I helpless?_

_"You really thought you could escape, didn't you? You can't… you're my prize," He spoke in a low, breathy tone. My heart pounding never settled down it seemed, and it only started catching up again. He was only inches away from me, dominating my own space as he pressed closer into me. I grasped the wall, anything to gain my space back. He looked into me humorously._

_"Ness… stop…" I told him._

_"Stop what? I'll make you do whatever I want, while we're still standing here," He spoke, pressing his knee in between my legs, as if trying to tack me to the wall. I exhaled. I was speechless as another cry echoed yonder while looking into Ness's darker face, which seemed millimeters away now. I was powerless. And it happened before I could inhale, before anything._

_He was rough, practically shoving his lips onto my own as my eyes widened into the kiss. He let his hands prop my shoulders hard against the brick wall; rain dripping on both of us as his mouth searched me. It was to the point where I couldn't keep count of how fast my heart really was beating, trying to gain little control, but with no success whatsoever. And I pathetically gave in, eyes eventually fluttering closed as my lips explored with him. It started to hurt my lips- he was so rough!_

_I shivered as his tongue snaked passed my lips, practically licking my gums like it was a spoon of frosting. The battle for dominance was determined the moment he entered. I weakly tried bringing my arms from my sides to snake around him. Why was I letting all of this happen? Only to be shocked out of my reverie a moment later._

_My eyes shot open, as I chocked on my air; looking at his face, the lips that had once been toying with me. Unspeakable- a pain so severe I couldn't explain as my hand tried to find the place on my body that screamed. When his twisted smile decorated his face, the sharp teeth were comparable to the magenta beast, who I could have sworn approached us at this very moment. My eyes traveled down to my mid-section, all soaked in my dark red seeping fluids. His hand was there, holding what had to have been some sort of a blade. I could start to feel something trickle from the corner of my mouth._

_"Wh…" I couldn't make any words._

_"Why?" He spoke. "Why not, after what you've tried to do to me…" He spoke, withdrawing the blade, as I reacted with a violent jolt. Before I could register anything else, something flew and hit me right smack across the head as I fell to the rain soaked concrete. Noticing the deep color of red swirl and dance along the runny ground like whirlpools, my eyes looked back up at the young boy, who had held his bat way above his head._

_"Don't worry Jeff, I'll make sure you die before that mean old chimera gets you," He spoke calmly, swinging the bat down at me._

"**Gah**!" I yelped, shooting up from my pillow; with a pounding chest, and a sweaty brow, breathing rapidly. It took moments, moments to register exactly what had just happened. Once I recognized the surroundings of Ness's house in the dark, my sigh was long and staggered. I rest my forehead in my hands, straining my eyes to the distant glowing clock that read 3:55 am. I forgot that I had left my glasses on my face through the night. I plopped back down onto my pillows, letting my eyes roam the ceiling.

_A dream. A nightmare. Why was I having them so frequently recently?_ I swore under my breath, rubbing my face and removing my glasses.

"If it really was a dream… why did it feel so real?" I spoke silently.

And why did my body remember it like it really happened?

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 19 All for The Sake of Friendship _

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

Something wet.

Something cold.

Whatever it was, it caressed my cheek, rubbing itself all over. The sound of a snort. I shivered awake, gasping as I did so. When I realized my body was facing the back of the couch, I flipped over quickly.

Ness's dog greeted my morning face with a lick on the chin. I looked, trying to focus my sight, realizing I had taken my glasses off when I woke up at night. The white terrier wagged his tail. I sighed, plopping my head back down on the pillow.

Sunlight shown through the window next to the front door, and my senses became clouded with the sounds of chirping birds and the scent of fresh-brewed coffee. When was the last time I woke up to the smell of coffee like this…? _Oh yeah_, when I was only four. My eyes looked at the clock, which had read 8:35 am. I let my eyes flutter closed again.

Thoughts of the dream came to me again, and while I felt embarrassed of myself for dreaming such a dream, there was one line that Ness spoke of that kept repeating in my head.

_"Why?" He spoke. "Why not, after what you've tried to do to me…"_ I turned around, burying my face in my pillow. I eventually shivered, grasping my pillowcase.

_No…_ I thought. _No, I was nothing like him. I was nothing like that sick sly that had control over that city... And I was going to prove it._ This was now the second time a dream like this happened to me. My first continuation dream? Probably not… but the alter-ego of Ness was starting to freak me out. Soon enough, I was startled once more by one's licking at my ear lobe. I shot up again, looking down at the dog, which jumped back slightly. I frowned, reaching out to him to pet his head. He seemed very mellow most of the time, I thought as he let me reach behind his own ear. I decided then that it was impossible for me to fall back asleep, and the smell of the coffee was keeping me from doing so. As I sat there, I noticed, excluding the chirping birds that it was relatively quiet in the house. Who made the coffee? Were the other's still in bed? I got up and walked into the kitchen.  
I was momentarily blind from the bright morning sun rays shining through the window above the kitchen sink. But when I got it out of my eyes, I saw, there was no one in sight. The sounds of birds chirping filled my ears even more now; they sounded close by. I decided to head towards the back yard, where I noticed the sliding glass door was open.

"Good morning Jeff," I jumped in surprise as Ness's mother spoke, frantically looking around on the patio to find her. She was lounging in her outside chair, with her legs up and a mug of coffee in her hands. I waved.

"Good morning," I told her.

"Would you like some coffee?" She asked. "You look like you need a dose," She laughed. I admitted I was a little ditsy from my rough time sleeping.

"Did you sleep alright?" She said after a moment of pause.

"Uh, yeah I slept fine, thanks" I said.

"No, you look a little disoriented, go back to sleep then, there's no rush!" She said. I sighed.

"I dunno, it's hard for me to sleep now that the sun has ordered me to wake up," I laughed.

"Haha, tell it to get out and ignore it," She joked. I smiled slightly as we looked at each other. She seemed welcoming, as her eyes smiled back at me, with no awkwardness in them or anything. At the same time, she seemed strong. I guess that was what mothers were for…

"Have a seat," She said, offering the chair across from me. I nodded slightly, sitting down and resting my hands on my knees. And there we were, just sitting there. This time, though I was thankful, it didn't feel awkward to me, and the cool morning air felt nice against my once frozen skin. I must have warmed up over the night somehow.

"Is everyone still asleep?" I asked. Debbie took a sip of her coffee.

"Actually no. It turned out a bunch of Ness's friends found out of his return, so they decided to skip school to play baseball with him this morning," She said. Tracy and Kaitlin had to go to school, but Paula is still sleeping like a log." I tensed slightly.

"So he's out there all by himself?" I started to worry. "What if something happens to him?" I semi questioned. However, she looked as if she had no idea what the fuss was over. After she looked into my eyes and sighed with a smile, she said, "_Nothing."_ I rose an eyebrow.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. Nothing will happen to him," She said, sipping her coffee. I shook my head.

"No no, you don't understand-"

"I understand perfectly."

"We've been through too much, what if someone-"

"Jeff, you need to settle down," She went on.

"Settle down? _I need to go find him_!" I said, standing up.

"Jeff, I'm not blind to not see what kind of person my own son has grown up to be," She said. I paused.

"What… do you mean?" I asked. Did she know he had…? She sighed, looking up into the trees.

"Sit down again, I'd like to talk to you," She said. My stomach flopped. A _talk_ with Ness's mom? I sighed in defeat, letting myself sink slowly back into my chair.

"Now… why are you so tense about Ness going out with a few of his school friends alone in a town that he grew up in?" She asked. I bit my lip.

"I… we've…" How could I tell her what has happened to us so far? How could I tell her all of our struggles? Our fights? How could I tell her that Paula was kidnapped before? _How could I explain about Ness being hospitalized?_

"I can see that you are a very fine young gentleman looking out for my son, but for right now it isn't necessary. He's a strong boy," She smiled. I curved my mouth a little. I was a little lost at words

"I… I heard you and him last night. I could even hear him crying… him being scared. Yet he goes out…" I trailed off. She laughed.

"He's still a young boy, I know. So I allow him to do the things that make him feel like a normal growing kid," She noted. I finally got it… or did I?

"When did you…?"

"We both are well enough aware that my son isn't any ordinary kid. I knew it, even when I was pregnant with him; there was something special about my Ness…" She smiled. Suddenly, millions of questions rose in my head again, waiting eagerly to be answered.

"Then… do you know what PSI is?" I asked. She laughed.

"I'm not sure to be honest. Ness said that he honestly wasn't sure himself, but he knew it was called PSI. He knew he had it. He knew Paula had it, before he even met her. He could only say that PSI was his perspective on everything and how he sees life. The universe. And he told me this when he was around seven," She explained. Interesting…

"Did he say what it felt like to have it?" I asked. She took another sip of her coffee.

"It's his own energy… just so much energy! He could feel the energy in everything he touched for Pete's sake, he knew King was to have his small tumors removed from his abdominal area, years before it even happened," She explained. _Interesting…_

"You seem fascinated… nonetheless you seem pretty interested in finding out about my own son. Why is that so?" She asked. I froze slightly. There were many things to say… just not what lingered in the back of my mind. _I couldn't say anything like that_, I thought.

"He just seems so stressed when we travel now. It's also kind of hard for us to talk to each other… I don't know really how or what he feels about everything. Sometimes, when he really does need to talk, he spills his guts out, but lately it's been pretty mute between the two of us. I just…"

"Do you want him to be happy?" She added. I looked up at her.

"Of course, I want him to be happy… but I don't know how I can make that possible," I replied. Debbie brought her nose to the rim of her mug.

"Why do you say that?" She asked. I frowened.

"I honestly don't even know if he thinks of me as a friend or not… he even said when we were on the bus together, he didn't really know _what_ to think of me… I guess we're close enough to talk… even if it's for a little while," I said.

"You've thought about how to approach him right for a long time, haven't you?" She asked with a chuckle behind her voice. I flushed slightly.

"_Maybe…_" There was a moment of pause, all until she let off a hardy laugh. I pierced my lips.

"Wha- what's so funny?" I asked in slight annoyance.

"Well it seems like, if I can communicate with you like this, there shouldn't be anything to worry about," She smiled. "I appreciate the fact that you really are looking out for the better of my son, I really do. He's had some bad luck with that," She said. I frowned again.

"So tell me…" As I shifted in my seat, I felt something round in my pocket that bothered me. Pausing in mid sentence, I took whatever was in my pocket out, only to remember, embarrassingly in front of Debbie- that I had Ness's yo-yo in my presence. A laugh passed her lips.

"Did Ness give that to you now?" She asked. I sighed.

"No…" I said. She looked at me, expectantly for me to continue.

"I found it on his floor, and noticing that it was broken, I took it, figuring that I could fix it for him when I have the chance," I replied. Debbie 'hmmed' in response.

"I believe… Ness intended to give that yo-yo to his friend Pokey on his birthday… when they were still close friends of course," She added. My eyes traveled to her, surprised at this sudden news. Now I knew why, Picky had said that Pokey would have taken a certain yo-yo, if anything.

"So… why does Ness have it again?" I asked.

"Well, as you may have guessed, their friendship fell apart a couple of years ago, and Pokey ended up either giving the yo-yo back or Ness took it back from him, one of the two. It was already broken when Ness got it back…" I looked down at the red yo-yo, lying limply in my hands.

"So… for a while, this was a symbol of their friendship?" I asked.

"You could say that," She replied. I finally gritted my teeth.

"What… what made Ness and Pokey drop their friendship?" I finally asked. I knew it was a horrible question to ask, and she knew it too. But the response I got was something I really didn't want to hear.

"What bothers me is… I really don't know," She said. "But once it broke apart, the happy Ness you saw in those photos were gone," She said. _Damn it, was I even allowed finding the answer to that question?_ It was as if Pokey was dangling the answer in front of me, only to yank it away once I got too close.

"He was such a happy young boy before the break up, always smiling and playing… and then for a while, he didn't even want to talk or get out of bed… and he was pretty silent with his school mates from then on," She said. I didn't like the sound of that either.

"So he became depressed for a while?" I asked. _Kind of like what happened to me when I first entered boarding school,_ I thought.

"The only people Ness would ever speak with were Tracy, his father and I… but it was very minimal for the first three months. We did all we could to help him out of his rut, I made him steak for a whole week while spending time with him; Tracy tried pairing him up with a very cute girl, and his father even came home for another whole week to try and spend time with him. _Nothing…"_

"No…thing?" I said.

"The first time he smiled since, after the meteor crash, he said this, 'Someday soon, I am going to meet Paula. And when I do, we will travel the world and visit the eight places I have always dreamt of visiting.'" My jaw felt loose a little.

"Paula was in every sentence he spoke, before finding her of course. It came to my intention to ask him, just who was this Paula and how he knew her. He simply just said, 'I heard her voice mom… she is a friend I am yet to meet. And I can't wait to meet her for I can just tell- she is just like me.'"

"And that's when you decided…" I said.

"Yes, that was when I decided to let him go. It was the most talk I had heard from him in a very long while, and his happiness was growing from the talk of this Paula. Don't get me wrong, I was very skeptical of my young 13 year old son at the time go out into the world at his age without any adult supervision, but something inside me just knew, this was something that would have to happen in order for him to be happy. The more he was gone, the more he called home, and the more he spoke over the phone. And even though, you're right, he isn't entirely happy yet. But at least my son and I can talk normally to each other again. I'm very grateful for that, at the least," She said. I frowned.

"I can only assume that it's because Ness can trust you…," I sighed. "He doesn't talk to me like he does with you or Paula… I don't know what I can do," I said.

"He does care for you Jeff… and he's even told me sometimes that he worries about you. Just like you worry about him," She smiled. It was true… and even Venus showed me this before.

"Maybe the next time you see him or when you get the chance, tell him how you feel; tell him that you're there for him. If not that, maybe ask him if the two of you could start your friendship over again and start fresh," She suggested. It rolled through my mind. I did want him to know that I cared, but I didn't want to seem awkward while doing so. Maybe starting our friendship over on a lighter note would clear up some of the issues we had been having before. Maybe…

_Maybe I'll stop thinking of him like the way I have been… more like a friend instead of a-_

"You alright there Jeff?" She asked.

"Yeah… you're right. He needs a friend, so I'll be that friend. Thank you Debbie, you've helped me think things through a little… I think I'll go find his baseball game and possibly cheer him on," I said smiling slightly. She nodded.

"Talk to me whenever you need it; that's why I'm here," She said. I nodded, standing up as the screen door opened. In the doorway stood Paula, with a blank look on her face and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"Morning Jeff," She said.

"Morning yourself," I smiled.

"Jeff was about to go see Ness's baseball game," Debbie spoke. Paula's eyes lit up.

"I wanna see Ness play baseball!" She spoke enthusiastically, as her blanket slid down to her ankles. "I wanna see him kick some butt in sports," She said, rushing up the stairway. I chuckled.

"I guess Paula is coming too," I said.

"Jeff?"

"?"

"… Thank you so much," Debbie said. I cracked a smile.

"It's no problem…" I replied.

"And don't be scared to feel open around me, you get tense very easily yourself," She said. I nodded.

"And don't worry, your secret is safe with me as well," She winked. I flushed.

"_What secret?_" I questioned. Debbie laughed.

"It was obvious from dinner last night… _you're his boy aren't you?_" She asked. Oh…_ that._ I paused.

"It's okay Jeff… I won't tell a soul," She smiled. I looked this time, really looked to see if she was truthful. I finally sighed in defeat.

"Now go have fun today," She smiled. I nodded, walking inside, meeting Paula before exiting the front door.

---

"How'd you sleep?" Paula asked me. I shrugged.

"Alright… how was sleeping with those girly… girls?" I asked. Paula laughed.

"I _survived_; after all, I'm a girl too aren't I?" She said.

"Mmm… yeah, if anything it must have been less awkward for you…"

"Yeah… for some reason, I don't see, convinced that you had a good night sleep," Paula added. I flushed a little.

"It's easy for you to read me like a book isn't it?" I asked. Paula laughed.

"It's hard to hide secrets from me," She said. I cringed slightly.

"That's… _great_," I spoke sarcastically. She looked at me skeptically, finally smiled to herself. I drifted my eyes away from her.

"… It's so peaceful here…" She added. "Nothing like the other cities we've been to." I let myself smile a little, drifting my sight around.

"Yeah, you're right Paula… we don't see this very often do we?" I added, crossing my arms behind my head. Paula grunted.

"It was similar like this when we returned to Threed in a sense. Just lacking the home feeling is all," She said. We were silent mostly after that, only to be halted by the sight of some grassy fields dead ahead on the side of the street. And further down was what looked like a baseball field. An active one that was.

"He must be there," Paula said, pointing ahead at the small crowd of people playing baseball. We picked up out pace, though not making it into a full blown run.

It was surprising to see that it was a decent amount of kids playing on the field; all of them were boys, excluding a few sporty tom-boyish girls. To say the truth, I had never really seen an actual baseball game in person, considering there was no space besides the indoors up in Winters that wasn't covered in 6 feet of snow. And it was kind of interesting, how organized this game actually was. Paula and I sat on the bleachers by ourselves behind the fence, and I could tell that some of the grownups passing by gave us awkward glances, probably wondering why none of us were in school in the first place.

"There's Ness coming out in the field!" Paula pointed out as most of the kids, at least on his team cheered him on. When I saw him, I hated admitting that the small smirk that decorated his face seemed comparable to his evil sneer in my dream. I tried keeping it secret, but I gulped slightly. I wasn't going to be afraid, was I?

"Ness! Ness! Over here!" Paula waved her arms over her head. I bit my lip, about to sit her back down and not drag attention, but a few of the kids already looked at us with awkward glances. When Ness had spotted us, he seemed surprised at first, but then he waved at us with his one arm.

"Bat already Ness, make it a good one, or else it'll be tied," The pitcher told him.

"It'll be better than your turn was!" Ness replied confidentially. There was no bitterness between the two, only taunting in a sporty fashion. So then he threw the ball…

And Ness missed the ball, swinging with all his might.

"STRIKE ONE!" Some loud mouthed kid yelled. We all 'awwed' in disappointment. Some of the kids tried encouraging him. But he seemed cool about it to me…

"That was a warm up, Jonny-boy," He told the pitcher as he got the ball back.

"Well I'm just warming up myself," He replied, throwing the ball again. Ness swung the bat once more.

He missed again.

"STRIKE TWO!!" He yelled.

This time, he did seem a little surprised that he missed again, either that or he flinched from how loud that damn kid was shouting strikes. And when his team cheered him on again, so did Paula.

"You can do it, Ness!" She shouted, jumping up and down like a candy-hyper kid. I sighed, standing up myself.

"Hit the ball Ness, if anyone can wield a bat, it's you! Show then what you can do!" I told him, wrapping my hands around the corners of my mouth. Ness looked back at me, but looked away again soon after, holding the bat up.

"Who are those two?" One of the people asked. Ness looked back at us again, eventually forming a smile.

"My best friends, that's who," He said as the ball came at him once more.

We could all tell that the kid was about to yell out 'strike three, you're out' but we were all caught off guard when Ness not only hit the ball, but _really_ hit the ball.

_**Smash!**_

He started to run, but we were all too busy watching the ball fly away, practically into infinity. It just kept going up and up and up into the sky. And to my speculation… it didn't even come back down after that. It was gone.

Ness ran the home run, even while everyone watched the sky for the balls return. Though it never did.

"Holy hell Ness, I think that ball would have made it to _Mars_ by now!" The pitcher commented.

"What? You thought I'd go stale and rusty in this game? Think. _Again."_ He poked his chest laughing.

"No… no strike three?" The strike kid asked. The catcher patted him on the back.

"No strike three," He said as the strike kid sulked. Ness smirked when he turned to us and flashed us his peace sign.

"We win!" A few of the kids cheered.

"Baw, I'm never on a winning team," Another one sulked. It was then that Ness walked away.

"See you guys, that was fun! We should do that again," Ness said, waving to them.

"Wait, where do you think you're going?" One of the kids asked. "What about my _ball_?" Ness shrugged.

"Sucks to be you; go bribe my dad at work to buy you a new one," He replied jokingly.

"Wait, will we see you again soon?" Another asked. Ness was unresponsive vocally, but instead waved back to them bye and paced towards us.

---

"Wow, that was amazing Ness!" Paula told him. Ness was in a happy, cocky mood at the time, and was holding his bat on his shoulder marching proudly.

"I hadn't played baseball in a long time; that felt great!" He replied snickering.

"You really got that ball up in the sky, I don't think it'll ever come down," Paula noted.

"I made a bet with them that when I returned we'd play base ball and I'd win, and I was right!" He cheered, suddenly turning around to us, halting us on the sidewalk. Paula stood there happily, but on the other hand, I quickly glanced the other way.

"Thanks for encouraging me you two…" He said, grinning.

"Are you gonna see them again before we leave?" Paula asked. Ness shrugged.

"Probably not…" Ness replied. There was a pause.

"You're quiet this morning…" Ness noted, poking me with the tip of his bat. I frowned, glancing at him then looking away.

"I'm always quiet…" I replied.

"Oh… nu-uh," He said.

"…" I was suddenly caught off guard when Ness suddenly poked me again with the bat, this time handing me the bat. I fumbled with it, as my glasses fell out of line.

"_You're it!"_ He said, as he grabbed Paula's hand and dashed off in front. I stood there blankly until I realized the situation. _Tag?_

"_Wait!_ Ness, Paula, _wait for me!"_ I hollered at them embarrassingly.

I guess it didn't matter that much then, both Ness and Paula seemed pretty happy.

---

I panted when I had finally reached Ness's house, though none of them were in sight. My breath came to a slow, glancing around the place.

"God damn it Ness, where the hell are you two?" I muttered to myself as I felt my right pant leg lift slightly, feeling something cold and smooth caress my ankle. I jumped out of shock as I turned swiftly around, only to startle what was behind me on its side.

Mr. Ziggy was it? He flailed about on his back as I must have startled him myself. I sighed.

"I'll have to get used to you again," I said while hearing one's cute young laughter along with a devious snicker as Ness and Paula revealed themselves from the bushes. I raised an eyebrow to them.

"What was that about?" I asked, looking back down at Mr. Ziggy, who was still pathetically trying to get back up on his small feet.

"I'm sorry, but your reaction was priceless," Ness laughed. I frowned.

"How'd you like something wet and cold always creeping up on your skin without your permission?" I asked. This only made Ness laugh even more now. I sighed in defeat. _He seemed much livelier today_, I thought. Paula kept laughing even more now.

"What's so funny Paula?" I asked as she pointed to Mr. Ziggy, who had been going through more of his sneezing fits, making him jerk out of control on the pavement. I had to admit, it looked pretty damn funny.

"That poor oddball," Paula said, picking the pathetic Mr. Saturn up into her arms and holding it up to my face.

"Say you're sorry Mr. Ziggy," She said. There was a moment of pause where the Mr. Saturn and I stared into each other's eyes, wrinkling his nose. _What a peculiar creature_, I thought, all until he let off another violent sneeze that sprayed all over my face. Ness started to laugh again as I whipped my face clean. Paula took him away. _Nice._

"Oops, sorry," She said, trying to not laugh.

"You two making fun of me or something?" I finally asked.

"No no, it's nothing like that!" Paula said. Honestly, it isn't anything like that!" She said.

"Yeah, don't worry; we make fun of each other all the time, right Paula?" Ness asked her as she nodded in return. Before I could add something, pointing up my finger, the front door had opened.

"You kids hungry for breakfast, or what?" Ness's mom asked. All of us looked at each other as our stomachs growled.

---

Debbie was nice enough to make us all breakfast, as I could tell entering the house with the warm scent of blueberry pancakes and bacon filling my nostrils. It was more of a feast what she did- cooking up enough pancakes to stack all of our plates as well as making enough omelets and bacon to also feed the dog. Every single bite was heaven; how much better the school cafeteria would be if she was the cook!

"Wow Ness, my hungry boy, would you like more?" She asked. Ness nodded, handing her his plate. I hadn't even bitten into my omelet yet.

"You should enjoy your food rather than suck it up like a vacuum Ness, cherish it," I added. Ness whipped his mouth from finishing his glass of milk.

"I'm _hungry_," He stated. "Besides, I want to make sure we have time to go visit Paula's parents for a little while," He said.

"I said we didn't have to go see them…" Paula said. Ness sighed.

"Even Jeff got to see… well you know what I mean. It's your turn, I feel bad as it is about keeping you away from your family, they miss you, I'm sure of it. Just go back for me? So they know that you're alright…" He said. Paula picked at her omelet then. It seemed like ever since we had our first argument at Belch's lair that he's been anxious to make sure that Paula was well taken care of.

"I mean, you seemed happy when I called them for you…"

"Jeff hasn't met them. If dad met him, he'd freak finding out I've been traveling with two older guys…" She explained. I put my fork down.

"That's the thing Paula, really… you aren't an eight year old girl… you're more than that. Appearances don't matter, you're more mature than Ness after all," I said winking to Ness, who had quickly looked away, stuffing his mouth with the pancakes that his mother returned with.

"And it makes me wonder if you really are that young…" I added, finishing my plate off. Paula was silent for a little bit.

"Maybe you're right…" She said. Ness gulped his food down.

"How'd you convince her so suddenly?" Ness asked. I avoided his eye contact shrugging.

"I learned that trick from someone… not too long ago to be honest," I said, looking over to Debbie, who was now putting the leftovers away.

"Debbie, the breakfast was amazing, thank you so much," Paula said; bringing Ness's then her own plate up to her in the kitchen, while I got up to put mine away as well.

"Thanks Debbie, it's not often that I eat food as great as that," I added. Debbie laughed.

"It's _nothing_! Go out and do what you need to do, you kids coming back to sleep over tonight?" She asked.

"Yeah, we are… if that's ok with you, mom…" Ness said. Debbie took a moment examining Ness. He seemed to go back into his sulky mood.

"Take as much time as you need Ness, you know there isn't any rush with me," She said smiling. Ness just simply nodded, and got up.

"Let's go then," He said, making his way to the front door in an anxious rush. Paula and I looked at each other with side glances, both of us sighing.

_"Ness_," We said in unison.

"Did you compromise with him yet, Jeff?" Debbie asked. I frowned.

"No… not yet," I said. Debbie sighed.

"You need to do that… the sooner, the better," She replied. I bit my lip as I let Paula continue in front of me as she got the stuff she needed.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"Not really, but he seems pretty sensitive around you two. I could tell that he was a little jealous of you being able to persuade her with little effort. I don't know-"

"But he shouldn't get upset over stupid little things like that, I didn't mean it like that, honestly!" I said. Debbie nodded.

"You're right, you didn't. _And he needs to see that you mean no offense to him more_," She said, almost hinting me on. I nodded, thinking as I made my way to the door, about what kind of person he thought I was really becoming for him. I shook my head.

_It was just too bad that he didn't have the time to tell me what he saw in me before dinner last night._

---

It was silent between the three of us most of the trip, Ness being ahead of Paula and I. Seriously, now it was my turn to question, when was his sulking and babying going to stop? _So what_ if I was able to convince Paula what he had been trying to convince her all this time? She doesn't think of him any less of a friend than me.

We arrived in what seemed to be Twoson in a little less than an hour, considering it was in walking distance rather than far off like Summers of Fourside. The two towns must have been closely linked together somehow, both seemed pretty friendly. Except this time… people really noticed us on the streets.

_More like they noticed Twoson's famous Paula Polestar._

"_Paula! Paula! Over here!!"_ Some guy in the park waved at us. Paula awkwardly waved a hand at them, looking a bit tentative as a small crowd of people started following us. Ness happened to let us catch up, only to hold her hand and drag her along.

"I don't like this, let's get there before we're mauled down by your fan-base," He said, walking ahead of me. I shook my head, trying to catch up to them.

---

"Polestar… _Preschool?_" I spoke out loud as we stood in front of the dark green roofed building. That's right, I soon thought, her parents ran a pre-school together and that was where Paula got known. I didn't know how long I stood there, staring at the white, black splotched cat on the rooftop, but was soon interrupted as Paula knocked on the door.

"Jeff, come on," Ness said. I soon obeyed, walking up to the porch.

"So… this is your home, Paula?" I asked, looking around the porch; that seemed to be kept clean. The giant cotton tree that towered over the building was a nice touch, but the fact that we kept receiving awkward glances from the passerby's left my stomach unsettled.

"Is it always like this over here?" I asked. Paula said nothing as the front door opened, just a crack. On the other side was a dirty golden haired man peeking through the doorway, light brown eyes widening when they rested on Paula, who had smiled sweetly to the man.

"Hi, Dad…" She said. The door swung open, revealing the father in utter shock and surprise. He was rather lean, but fairly tall, and his short beard decorated his younger face. He wore a plaid green button up shirt and casual jeans.

"P… _Paula!"_ He exclaimed, messing with his hair. "I… haha… wasn't expecting you back here this soon, how are you? Is something wrong? No one's hurt you right?" He asked, glancing at the two of us awkwardly. I could tell right from the start it seemed, that he was a bit overly protective.

"I'm fine Dad…" She said, standing on her toes to look past inside. "I just wanted to come back and visit you guys for a little bit if that's ok with you and Mom…" She said. Her father again, took weird glances at us, especially me, who in all honesty, looked away timidly.

"Are you finally… no, you still need to go out there and save the world… as you call it I assume," He said. There was a pause for a moment in the door. This was an awkward family reunion I thought. Paula frowned slightly.

"I can't live with you forever, Dad…" She said. Her father took this information in by exhaling, slightly rolling his eyes.

"You think way beyond your age, you know that? You're not even-"

"Greg, who's at the-" A strawberry-blond woman said approaching the door stopping in mid-sentence.

"Paula! Ness! I wasn't expecting you two to be returning so soon! And who's your friend here?" Her mom was pretty much the exact opposite of her father, easy-going and straight and to the point. Paula turned to me, and grabbed my hand.

"This is Jeff, he's traveling with us too," She told her. Her mother immediately held out her hand towards me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jeff, always a pleasure to meet Paula's friends," She said smiling, almost like a business woman. I was tentative, holding out my hand as she shook it rather violently. "Why don't you kids come in and have some tea?" She said, right off the bat. The look on Greg's face was horrific.

"What-"

"That would be perfect… thank you," Paula said, smiling sweetly.

---

We were taken back to the kitchen for a few, all of us gathering around the table that was kept neat and clean. The children, it seemed, were outside playing, unaware that their daughter was here in the moment. Paula's mother passed me some tea.

"So… how has your trip been?" She asked. All of us kind of looked at each other.

"It's been…" Suddenly, the phone rang.

"Oh, let me get that," She said, as her curly blond-red hair swirled around her as she answered the phone. Greg seemed to aggravatingly run his fingers through his hair.

"While your mother is busy, I might as well talk. Ness… Jeff is it? You've heard me say this before, but if I find out that-"

"Dad, _please_ they're fine!" Paula said.

"They might be just golly and dandy about all this, but I'm as sure as hell not! I mean… I just want to make sure things are okay. …I don't even know how I let you go out on your own in the first place!" He seemed to stumble over his words, trying not to raise his voice. Paula rolled her eyes and slouched in her chair.

"I'm not five-"

"And you aren't twenty either, Paula!" He replied.

"Hey… may I say something?" I asked.

"Like what? Tell me that she's perfectly fine in the hands of a… nerdy kid in a green tux? I don't even know a single thing about you, yet you come into my house, only to take my daughter from my eyes an hour later?! I can't-" Paula suddenly slammed her fist on the table in a fit of rage. All of us flinched, looking at her timidly. Paula was staring hard at her Dad now, who was looking back with the same kind of look. But the tense moment broke off once the door bell rang.

"Greg, will you get that?" Her mother asked. Greg got up, still staring at his own daughter as he made a b-line towards the door. Ness and I looked at each other now; neither of us could say a thing.

"It's best not to say anything to him… he gets like that…" Ness whispered. I gulped slightly; I hadn't dealt with this kind of situation before, nonetheless a girl's father before. Boy, they were the most frightening men that walk the earth I thought. Second to my own of course… But did he have a form of turrets?

"Paula, sweetie, what's wrong?" Her mother said, walking to the table. Paula now was slouched in her chair, bitter and utterly mad. Ness looked down, twitching his fingers and tapping his shoe nervously.

"Thanks for the tea mom… we'll be leaving soon," She mumbled, getting out of her chair and rushing upstairs. Her mother shook her head, walking towards the cupboard. Ness and Jeff exchanged glances with our heads hung low.

"Don't be down you two, you did nothing wrong. And since she's come back in one piece, I assume you did a good job keeping her safe from most of the lunatics out there," She said smiling, holding a metal frying pan to us.

"So… you want us to cook or something?" Ness asked.

"No no, give this to her when you three are out again, she'll get a good laugh," She said jokingly, placing the frying pan on the table and walking out the back door.

"A… frying pan?" I said, picking it up. "What is she going to do with this, she doesn't need to cook," I said.

"She could… use it like I use a bat?" Ness replied, taking the frying pan from my hands and examining its worn out appearance.

"I… I feel bad for her to say the truth…" I said.

"Why?" Ness asked. "Oh…" I sighed.

"_God damn it,_ I told you never to return here again!" We heard an enraged Greg say at the door. Ness and I looked at each other until deciding to go to the door to see what the commotion was.

"It doesn't mean I won't come here again, now does it? I just came by to deliver a miss sent letter, something I assume, you don't want someone else to have, am I right?" I heard a strangely familiar voice say. Though I couldn't pin point _whose_ it was to be honest. Ness and I slowly got closer to the door, until Greg finally closed the door.

"Who's he talking to?" Ness said, grabbing the door knob and opening it slowly. When both of us peeked out the door, my eyes widened slightly.

"No buddy, I don't want your shiny glasses and so-called brilliant mind on my door step, I don't allow creeps like you around here," Greg argued. Orange kid smiled, extending his arms out to his sides like a gesture of 'oh well.'

"I'm not the only scientist walking among the streets, hell, maybe there's one in your _house_ right now," He replied coolly. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You're only here because you're spying on my daughter am I right? Don't make me phone the police and ruin your reputation. I could care less if you were once her teacher, you're not coming _anywhere_ near my daughter…" He said, mumbling something illegible afterwards. Something slammed heart on my heart right about there at this sort of exclamation, but I wasn't sure why.

"Haha… it was nothing like that," he smirked, dropping the parchment down at Greg's feet. "You're so overly assuming, it's not like I would do something so _grotesque_ like some of her fans attempting to sneak into your house would every night. If anything, thank those two boys for keeping her safe, because all you can do is blow your head off," He said, walking off confidentially. Greg looked as if his head _was_ about to blow, all red and sweaty as he snatched up the letter.

"_Go back to hell and un-boiling eggs like the cocky little bastard you are. Maybe hens will praise you by then!" _He yelled, stomping back towards the door. Ness and I panicked slightly, looking around franticly until deciding to run back to the kitchen table and sitting down. By that time, he marched through the door and slammed the door shut. We looked at each other horrified. If Orange kid mentioned us to him, whom he did, we were toast and we'd lose Paula from our team for good. But instead, he marched towards what seemed like the bathroom. We both sighed in relief.

"I feel like we're about to get some sort of lecture soon," I added. Ness shivered slightly.

"I hadn't seen him this angry before…"

"Though isn't it strange? Why and how did Orange kid _know_? We hadn't seen them at all once we got here…" I added. "And if the two of them knew each other before… Paula never said anything like that back when we saw him in Threed…"

"He lives a block away from here… near where Apple Kid lives," Ness said. I bit my lip.

"I wonder what he has to say…" I said.

"We can visit him on the way back if you want," Ness said. I thought of this for a moment.

"I guess…" I said, imagining his room covered in "Frizzy Doc Andonuts" posters. I sulked as we heard one's footsteps run down the stairs.

"Paula… are you okay?" Ness asked timidly. Paula just nodded.

"We should go, it's almost three," She said. Ness and I nodded and slowly stood up. I wasn't sure if I wanted to sneak out or run for my life out of there, but I guess Paula provided a bit of relief and protection for us while we were under her roof. I soon remembered the frying pan on the table, which I grabbed quickly and handed to her.

"Your mom wanted you to have this… I don't know why," I told her. Paula looked from the pan up to me, shaking her head and accepting the pan and putting it into her bag.

"Let's just go," She said, as we made our way towards the door.

"Are you three leaving already?" Paula seemed annoyed, twirling around towards her mom.

"Yeah… I'll call you guys soon okay?" She said. Her mother smiled.

"Give me a hug," She said, extending her arms out. Paula could barely smile, as she collided into her and gave her one tight squeeze before leaving.

"Tell Dad I love him too," She said before going out in front of us down the front steps.

"Don't worry sweetie, he knows. Take care Ness and Jeff!" She waved to us. Both of us waved back, without saying a word. And by the time we were out on the sidewalks again, Paula was a good five yards ahead of us. The last thing I could recall from her home was the sound of her father's aggravated, worried voice talking to her mother.

_"Pippi, how could you let her go off like that again?!"_

---

The silence that bestowed upon us as we walked down the block was unsettling, as neither Ness nor I wanted to speak up, afraid of upsetting Paula, who had looked really down. I really didn't know how she would respond.

"Paula…?" Ness asked, pausing at the corner of the block as she started walking out into the street. Paula stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Ummm… I need to visit Apple Kid for a second… is that okay with you?" Ness asked, almost as if Paula was now in charge. But when she turned around, her passive face was replaced with a wide grin, but with damp eyes.

"Okay," Her voice hitched. "Let's go then." I frowned sympathetically.

---

Apple Kid's house was for some expected reason brick red and the windows were white and worn. This house seemed pretty old to be honest, since for some reason, this area felt lower class. Ness knocked on the door, only to pause looking down moments later.

"What is it?" I asked. Ness bent down, and picked up from under the door mat, what seemed to be a note. Ness eventually sighed after reading the parchment.

"He's not here," He said, handing me the crumbled, grease-splotched paper. My eyes scanned the paper.

_Dear Ness,_

_Sorry if I'm not here if you come by. If you're reading this, I'm currently on my way to finding Doctor Andonut's Lab. I'm so pleased that he accepted my offer! Expect to see my science projects improve in no time Ness! I'll call you if I need anything, or if I find anything useful!_

_Sincerely,_

_Apple Kid_

I crumbled up the paper. So he accepted him eh? _I guess I'd have to deal with that bastard longer_, I thought. _Great…_

I guess we should go home then…" Ness said, as we turned around to find Paula standing by the mailbox, a tear rolling down her cheek. Ness stood there looking at her, taking his cap off to run a hand through his hair.

"_Paula…_ I'm sorry this… _this is my fault_. I didn't realize that you didn't want to see your parents…" He spoke, standing before her. Was it possible that she was in the same kind of situation I was in without me knowing? Paula rubbed her eye.

"… I'm such an _idiot,_ Paula…" Ness said, running his fingers through his hair. "I was hoping you'd figure that out by now…"

"You could have said something though… we would have helped out somehow…" I wasn't sure what I meant by that sentence as to how we'd help out her family issues. Paula sniffed.

"You're not stupid Ness… It's not that I didn't want to see my parents, but it's really rare… they're always busy. Dad is about work, worry, work worry… and mom could care less if I do what I want because she's busier than Dad and she trusts me more. And it seems like whenever I'm over there, all that happens is arguing about what's right or what's safe for me without getting to know me… _god_, I wish they'd just stop looking at me as Paula Polestar that everyone seems to go after and look at me as their daughter instead…" She sulked, sitting down on the curb. Ness and I looked at each other again.

"And it's really hard for Dad to accept the two of you; I knew that before we went. He's worried that you two are like… you know," Her breath cut her off as Ness and I sat by her, letting her sit between the two of us. We sat there in silence for a while.

"… You know they're like this… because they love you, right?" Ness finally said. Paula shook her head.

"We don't seem like a family though…" She said. "More like co-workers…"

"Paula… we just saw your father defending you from someone that might have wanted to harm you. He called you his daughter, not Paula Polestar, or just Paula," I said. Paula hugged her knees closer to her. Ness sighed.

"They are taking care of a lot of kids after all… all of them that need more supervision than you do."

"I used to be locked in my room all the time," Paula replied. "That's what my Dad wants me to do right now…"

"But he's not making you do that if you're out here," I said. "Out of the three of us, you're the only one that has parents always living together, and living in a place like that, I can see why it's so chaotic, they're dealing with many things together all the time, so they're bound to quarrel. But I don't know… I looked at how you dealt with your Dad and he backed off. His weakness seemed to be your depression or harm to you, so he backed off, figuring that you'd be happier this way. He wants you to be happy… and so does your mother… I just know it," I explained.

"And your mother is doing the best she can to support your decisions… while your father just wants to make sure that you're safe and happy doing so," Ness finished. "Paula, they love you."

"I don't believe you guys…" Ness and I smirked at each other, seeing the glint in his eyes of a plan.

---

We returned to the Polestar Preschool with a bundle of flowers in Paula's hands as we run the door bell again. We could hear someone's footsteps approaching the door as we somewhat braced ourselves as Greg opened the door once more. He sighed again looking at the three of us.

"I thought you were going back out with your friends again Paula?" He said. Paula nodded her head.

"I am, but I want to give these to you two… thanks for letting me do what I need to do and what I want… even if it's hard for you to watch…" She said, handing him the bundle of pink and yellow flowers. Greg stood there, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Sweetie… naw I need to apologize to you. I just get…"

"Overly protective. I know…" She smiled. Greg knelt down to her level, looking at all three of us in the process.

"I love you, Paula. Not like those other people out there, but like a father. And your mother feels the same way too…" He seemed to be at loss of words as they both held hands, until Paula wrapped her own around his neck, embracing him. I hated to admit it, but I frowned.

"I love you too, daddy… I'll come home safe to you, always," She said, letting go. "But right now… I need to do this, with my two friends. It's hard to explain… or comprehend," She said. "Where's mom?" She asked. Greg smiled at her.

"Your mother is out doing errands right now. I'll be sure to pass the message along to her," He said, standing up and ruffling her hair. "Did you get that frying pan?" He asked. Paula laughed.

"_Yes,_ I got the frying pan, dad and I'll be sure to hit someone if they try to hurt me," She said. I snickered at that remark. They didn't want to let them out, but they wanted to make sure that their daughter was _equipped_ eh? Her father chuckled.

"_That's my girl_," He said, pinching her cheek. Paula rubbed it, almost embarrassingly.

"I apologize to you two, especially you… Jeff? Thanks for keeping my daughter company and taking care of her, like she needs," He said, smelling the flowers and humming.

"It's alright, we'll take good care of her, we promise," Ness said.

"Alright Paula… go out there and show 'em what you're made of honey!" He said, as he waved us goodbye as we walked out of Twoson and back to Ness's house.

---

Paula was happily holding our hands as we walked happily back home in the nice afternoon sunlight, and it seemed like all of us had forgotten our troubles from before. Heck, even my dream was long gone from my mind by this time, and as we approached Ness's front yard, Tracy was walking out of the front porch with a huge grin on her face.

"Paula, wanna come with me to go to Kaitlin's house?" Tracy asked suddenly. Paula waited for a second.

"But didn't you say before that Kaitlin lives in Twoson?" She responded.

"We'll take the bus silly, let's-"

"Tracy, _no_," Ness said, thankfully. Tracy stopped.

"And why not?" She asked.

"You're not taking Paula with you _by yourselves_ in Twoson, are you serious!?" He said. Tracy frowned.

"Okay fine… want to take a walk with me instead? I'll get you your favorite ice cream cone… _before dinner_," She said winking. Paula looked back at the two of us. Ness was a little unsettled at first but nodded.

"Not too far Tracy, alright?" He said. Tracy squealed, grabbing Paula's hand and dashing off.

"She'll be in _better_ hands!" She said back as they made their way across the street. Ness snorted.

"_Sure_," He said rolling his eyes and walking inside. I followed behind, distantly of course.

Inside, Debbie was busy putting some of our laundry in the washing machine. I didn't realize, until I passed by that she was putting my pajamas in as well.

"Oh, you don't have to do that for me…" I said, halting her. She looked me over instead.

"Get out of those clothes Jeff, I'll clean those too," She said. I flushed slightly, looking down at my attire, all scratched, dirty and worn. I was sure I had yellow stains decorating my white button up shirt in the arm pits by now.

"I don't have any other clothes to wear though…" he said.

"I'll lend you some of my husband's casual clothes, they'll fit you," She smiled, walking up the stairs to I guess, go fetch me some clothing. I looked up the stairway, wondering to myself or not whether to go up there or not.

"You can come up you know," Ness said, as he strode to his bathroom, working on the rim of his shirt to come over his head. I quickly looked away before he could get it completely off, even though he was already in the bathroom. He must have realized something like this too when he shut the door quickly behind him. I shook my head as I could noticed Debbie coming back downstairs to hand me the bundle of clothing, which consisted of an overgrown white shirt and a pair of baggy pajama pants and socks.

"You coming with us to the store?" Debbie asked me. When Ness walked back out of the bathroom, and into his room, I shook my head.

"Nah… you two go do what you need to do. I'll just stay here and read, I'm kind of tired anyways," I said, faking a yawn.

"You're not just saying that because you're trying to avoid my-"

No no no, not that either," I said. "I'll be fine… if anywhere I'm perfectly fine here, Debbie… thanks," I smiled. Debbie soon shrugged.

"Well alright hun, go relax and make yourself feel at home. I'll plan dinner at the same time if not earlier," She said, going into the kitchen to grab her purse as Ness walked down the stairs with his bundle of dirty clothing, wearing a dark navy blue hoodie and slightly baggier blue jeans.

"Why don't you want to come?" Ness asked. I shrugged.

"Just tired…" I replied, avoiding him best as possible, getting into the bathroom to change so she can wash them in the next load. I could feel Ness's eyes on my back then for a moment, before they went on and left.

---

It was relatively quiet throughout the house after I changed into the overgrown and overstretched clothing that was given to me. It was kind of strange that I was alone by myself, in someone else's humble abode. Though I guess, counting not only King the dog, but Mr. Ziggy, I wasn't really alone. And Picky had to have been next door by then, seeing how it was already nearing five o' clock. I sighed while plopping down on the couch. What to do now? Apparently I was trusted enough to watch the house, all on my own…

I eyed my bag, deciding to dig though it a little while. Digging out and finding my gun, which _still_ wasn't fixed, I finally decided that it wasn't worth fixing for there were better ones out there, and I couldn't make this one any stronger than it was. It was just going to be awkward to ask Ness to get me another one, I thought. Either that or find a way to make my own gun… but I didn't have the right or strong enough materials in my bag. Lifting it, I realized how heavy it really was. How was I lugging around all of this stuff? Nonetheless junk that I was supposed to fix and make useful? I hadn't learned a damn useful thing yet, I thought. The most threatening thing on me was a knife… and the HP sucker, which refused to work half of the time nonetheless. Maybe… maybe…

I took the HP sucker out of my bag, studying its structure, until growling to myself. I hated admitting it… but it was true, I was losing my touch on mechanics. How was I to provide usefulness to the team if I didn't have that kind of vast knowledge in our arsenal? I dug out an old skip sandwich that had gone bad, and was about to throw it away, only to run into something I slightly cringed at, only to pause and dig up.

_One of my dad's text books…_ I thought, looking at the smaller paperback book as I got up to throw away the rotten sandwich. I had grabbed one of his books while I was there?

"I should throw this book away while I'm at it_,"_ I mumbled to myself, tossing the sandwich inside, but for some reason, I held on to the book, eventually growling in defeat, to go sit down on the couch and scan through the pages.

I didn't know what I was thinking when I was over in his lab, for the book I had grabbed was fairly basic, providing some of the same information I learned in school except more in depth for the typical college student. The different diagrams of rockets had more key terms linked to all of them. _And to think, that I would most likely have to read this text book, if I ever wanted to go into a field such as rocketry…_

The phone rang just then. I jumped up slightly at the ringing sound, one of the phones playing a classical melody. I walked to find the phone, which had had the caller ID information. I read the ID, "Minch." I was tentative at first, but then I remembered, it must have been from next door. I answered the phone.

"Hello?" I said over the phone.

"Jeff?" I heard Picky's voice say over the line.

"Yeah…"

"Get over here… _I think I found it_," He said, hanging up. I immediately hung up and went next door, locking the door behind me. I _can wait for them to come back before I get back in_, I thought.

---

When I invaded the trashy front yard of the Minch's, I was surprised that he wasn't waiting on the front porch or something. I waited there for a moment, finally deciding to ring the doorbell, only to be greeted by an opening door before I could do so. However, the one that opened the door wasn't Picky, and my eyes widened in fear.

_**Holy god**_, I thought when I had first laid eyes on what seemed to be their mother, Lardna. _Boy was she a bunch of lard…_ She not only towered over me both vertically and horizontally, but every step she took vibrated. But I couldn't fear her just by how overly massive she was, she just looked… and she smelled…

Her bright magenta lip stick practically covered more than her fish lips and the bright blue eye makeup she wore made her look like a clown. Her dirty hair was messy and out of place… was that a wig in fact? I shivered when I saw that what she wore was way to revealing of her chest. _All those blue veins,_ I thought, holding my stomach in and covering my mouth looking away as I swallowed my acid back down. And to top it all off, her teeth were literally brown and rotting, I thought maybe her teeth were eating themselves just to get out of her mouth. _No wonder Ness called her the bloody hulk…_ She inhaled the cigarette she held between her pink painted fingernails.

"_Hey, you got a scrawny friend here visiting you! I'm going out again, so __**don't**__ go teasing the cats!_ Especially my new one, _Snickerbutt_," She said, squeezing through the doorway and making her way down the steps without excusing herself. Snickerbutt_? Seriously? _I snickered to myself. I got clear out of her way, not looking back at her skanky appearance as I rushed inside, only to hold my breath in again.

Picky walked down the stairway, to sit down casually on the couch, having to swat a piece of dried cat feces out of his way.

"Picky… your mom…" I started, trying to keep a straight face. Picky shrugged.

"You can laugh; she's done that to herself anyways. It's gross… I know," He said.

"You can't possibly live here the rest of the time, can you?" I asked him.

"I'll run away one of these days, what you think I'd stay in a wreck like this and get thrown in a foster care program? You know me better," He said, eyeing the countertop. I nodded, keeping my breathing to a low from the awful stench in the air.

"Here," He said, tossing me what looked to be a small black leather book. I caught it clumsily, and flipped it right way up.

"What is it?" I asked, opening the book to find many of the lined pages written on. My eyes widened, as I dropped the book.

"_You…_" I looked up from the book to him. "This is… _this…"_ I would have never imagined that Pokey would have left something this _valuable_ behind for the world to see if they found it…

"I've only read the first few pages, but yeah. _That's his diary,"_ he said. "I took the key and lock off of it too so you don't have to worry about that." I didn't understand… _why didn't he burn something like this? Did he __**want**__ someone to find it and read through it?_

"Picky… this could be something we've been searching for this entire time… this book might hold a lot of answers I've been searching for…" I said. I couldn't believe how casual he was about all this as he shrugged his shoulders, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

"You can have that if you give me-"

"I don't have anything to give, Picky," I replied pausing. We both looked at each other for a moment. Picky looked puzzled.

"What?"

"… Why are you doing this?" I asked him. Picky looked across at his feet.

"I don't know… revenge I guess," He said. _Revenge?_

"Did he do anything to you?" I asked.

"Well one, he ruined our family. Two just because he's an utter jerk to me now. Besides, I bet you'll find that useful one way or the other," He said. I nodded.

"I'm sorry Picky," I told him, as I heard a car pulling in next door.

"You coming over for dinner?" I asked. Picky sunk his back into the cushions.

"Nah… not tonight," He replied. All I could do was pick up the small book carefully and nod, walking out the door.

"Thanks Picky… this was the kind of lead I was looking for," I told him. He smiled.

"Just don't let Ness see that…_ he'll freak out_," He told me before I walked back over next door, hiding the book as best as I could.

---

Apparently Tracy and Paula were back as well since they were both gathered on the couch watching television. I eyed my bag that sat next to the couch, feeling kind of awkward as I took my bag with me to the bathroom.

"Where were you Jeff?" Paula asked. I fumbled embarrassingly.

"I umm… I decided to walk the block is all. I made sure the door was locked and everything," I told them. Paula frowned.

"What?" She questioned. I took in a deep breath, only to be cut off by Ness running down the stairs. I kept the book behind my back.

"Looks like you're hiding something," Tracy added. _Crap…_

"No… I'm… _gah my back hurts!"_ I said, getting into the bathroom and closing the door behind me. I kept my back to the door, heart hammering as I held the book in my hands. _Paula saw right through the lie, how could I be so stupid!_ A knock at the door.

"Jeff, are you alright?" Ness asked through the door. I immediately looked around me. _Where to hide the book, just through dinner time?_ I thought. When I had spotted a sweatshirt that Debbie handed to me as well sitting on the tub curb, I grabbed it, finding a nice sized pocket in the front of it. _Perfect,_ I thought. I slipped the shirt on and stuck the book in the big pocket. I opened the door to a curious Ness looking slightly right up at me, removing his eyes away as soon as I blinked.

"Are you alright? You weren't here when we pulled in…" He said. God damn it, I didn't think everyone would be questioning me like this, I wasn't gone for long!

"I… took a small walk just around the block with Picky since he came over to see what was up. We just talked about each other's day is all…" I said, exhaling, hoping he'd absorb my tale. I could tell that he wasn't sure whether to believe me or not.

"Why does your back hurt?" He asked. I bit my lip.

"Slept on it weird is all. Don't worry Ness, I'm fine…" I said with a hint of annoyance. Ness seemed to get the picture as he backed off slightly. I frowned slightly.

"Sorry Ness," I told him suddenly. Ness raised an eyebrow.

"Why…?" He asked.

"Just… yeah," I said, walking past him with my bag in hand. And it was around this time that I was so grateful when Ness's mom poked her head through the doorway.

"Dinner's ready," She told us. _Already?_ How'd she cook so fast? I thought.

"But you guys just got home?" I said.

"We got take-out tonight," Ness said, punching my shoulder lightly. "I'm starving," He said. I shook my head.

_You're always hungry, Ness…_

---

Before I knew it, my plate was empty. I had never eaten oriental food as good as this before, though it couldn't compare with what Debbie had made for us last night. Most of us just talked about normal things, though I was quiet through most of it. Tracy was the one that did most of the talking. As the sun went down, I let my eyes drift over to the back yard and King whom was casually lying in the grass. It was then that I saw a small flicker of light. Then another and another and another... My eyebrows perked up as I saw several of these flickering lights flying around everywhere.

"What's wrong Jeff, never seen fire flies?" Ness asked.

"No…" I replied watching the small flying insects in astonishment. Standing up and walking out into the grass, I watched around me as the flashing lights flew carelessly close around me. It was almost like magic. I had heard of these bugs, but I had never witnessed them in person. I must have been caught off guard for a long time, because when I felt something ice cold slide down my shirt on my back, I jumped, turning to a snickering Ness.

"_Gah, what was that for_?" I asked as a firefly landed on my shoulder. _How long had I been standing here?_

"Everyone's inside now Jeff, come inside," He said, pausing me as he brought his hands to my shoulder to catch the bug on my shoulder. Ness poked his eye into his hands to see the insect glow.

"Here, hold it and see for yourself," He said. I frowned a little, intimidated. I hadn't held a bug before.

"Kay…" I replied holding out my hands as Ness transferred the bug into my hands. The only problem was that I didn't close my hands as fast as I should have as the bug flew away from my hands.

"You klutz," Ness laughed. "Of course it's gonna fly away if you don't close up your hands!" He grinned. As I saw his toothy smile, I immediately looked away, remembering the darker half of him suddenly flash through my mind. _Stop thinking about that stupid dream of yours, Jeff!_

"You're lucky to live out here where these fireflies are," I said. Ness grunted.

"I used to catch them all the time when I was young," Ness told me as he caught another one.

"Here, just look in my hands," He said, holding out his hands. I blinked for a moment before leaning in and peeking in. The bug was longer and narrower than I thought, considering my near-sighted eyes weren't all that great. Its long narrow wings were black and outlined in the color yellow. And as the bug blinked its light again, I flinched backwards a bit, making a giggle pass Ness's lips.

"You'll get used to them someday hopefully," Ness said. I nodded before yawned a little.

"Sleepy already?" Ness asked. I hadn't really thought of it yet, but yes I was a bit sleepy at the time, even though it had to have been only eight o' clock.

"Yeah a little…" I said. Ness's giddy nature faded down a bit as he let part of his mouth lift up.

"You should go to bed then, we have a big day tomorrow… we'll be getting to one of the sanctuary locations… hopefully reach Summers," Ness explained, walking towards the door. "I should go to sleep myself, Paula and Tracy already went up to their room," Ness said.

"Wait… Ness?" I said suddenly. I had a feeling this was going to get awkward again. Ness looked back at me. And all we could do then is just stare for a moment. Were my words and ideas just lost whenever I looked at him or what? Ness's expression fell tentative.

"Well…?" I shook my head.

"… I'll tell you later," I told him.

---

The house fell silent early that night as I lied down on the back of my couch waiting to be sure that everyone was locked into their rooms. And when I was sure and ready, I turned on a nearby lamp and pulled out the small black book from my sweatshirt. I examined its worn down appearance, carrying the faint scent of must and cigarette smoke. Why did he have a diary? Did he really have to write things down? Was it a way for Pokey to vent out his emotions so he could keep calm and cool whenever he spoke in public? I took in a deep breath, opening the cover to the first page.

_May 21, 199X_

_This will probably be the only thing that I'll receive from my parents that will hold some sort of meaning someday for a while, if not ever again. Scratch that, this diary means everything at the moment because it is the only thing, if I read it, that holds what seems to be the meaning of me, if that even made any sense at all._

_Picky, if you ever read this, whether I'm dead or not, be aware that you will never see me the same way, ever again. And I really could care less._

_Because honestly, by the time you see this, we're enemies. So before that happens, you might as well read this, since you already opened the book. So let's go over our lives so far- through my eyes._

_Do you remember when we first moved to Onett?_

_Of course not, you weren't born yet. But do you remember when "they" moved in next door? Probably not, you were just finishing your ABC's at that time._

_I was about eight and you were two. The house had been empty for a year; its previous owners were too old to handle the household on their own. It was a shame because they passed away in half that time. I missed their chocolate chip cookies and mint iced tea so much._

_Anyways, you were doing what babies do best. I was busy spying through the window at the giant truck, with gruff men carrying giant furniture and boxes. I wanted a good look at the family but at the time, I really couldn't tell who was who. The first time I saw Debbie, I snickered as she dropped her vase. She didn't seem too happy as she tried picking it all up. Tracy was about five I believe at the time and she helped her out. I shrugged; I assumed it was just a mother, father and daughter living next to us for the next years to come. Then when I saw them carrying a baseball themed dresser, I kept my eyes on the lookout, thinking that there must have been a boy living with them as well._

_I really wasn't sure what I was thinking when I first saw him._

_Ness was holding his bat and glove like they were both his teddy bear. He seemed lost, looking around for something. When I saw his face under short locks of clean jet black hair, there was something different about him… I wasn't sure what it was at the time. And I didn't know how to react, whether to like it or repel it. But something about his young face and those glittering eyes made me wonder if I would be seeing him in school anytime soon. He looked a little younger than me, so I didn't expect him in my grade. When his father snuck up on him, he turned around surprised. His grin was humongous and happy; I had never seen a boy so happy around his father as he held him up over his head, giving him a piggy back ride into the house. I kept watching and watching, but he never returned back outside that day._

_And when I turned away from the window, my stomach growled in an odd fashion. So I went to go get something to eat._

---

I suddenly closed the book as I heard someone's door open upstairs. Thinking in a rush, I hid the book underneath me on the cushions and as I could sense someone tip-toeing down the steps, I realized I didn't have enough time to turn the light out, so I pretended that I had fallen asleep forgetting to.

Whoever it was sighed when they turned the light out over me. It sounded like…

When I heard the back kitchen door slide open, I curiously opened one of my eyes. Who would go out of the house at this time of night? When I was sure that they had gone out, I was daring enough to get on my feet and follow them outside into the moonlit outdoors when fireflies danced.

I tried being as silent as possible, opening the sliding door. I looked around the back yard, but there was no person in sight. Spending at least five minutes out there searching I sighed, almost about to go back in to fall asleep.

"Jeff, up here!" I heard Ness whisper from up above. I looked around above me, only to soon spot Ness, who had been sitting on the roof top.

"Ness, what are you doing?" I asked. Ness suddenly told me to shush with a finger on his lips while pointing down below him, where I had found a small wall fence, perfect for me to climb up with. So I got up on the rooftop, sitting by a not so sleepy, but quiet Ness. Ness lay back down as he let his eyes wander in the night sky. I joined him, laying my back on the rough rooftop to let my eyes become absorbed in the glittery night sky.

It was better than watching the fireflies I thought. Or it almost looked as if they had flown up into the heavens, swirling around in different shades of silver blues and purples. But then again… it was nothing like watching it up on top of Maxwell's classroom rooftop. Onett's lights got in the way, so you couldn't see as much as you wanted.

"I knew you were awake all this time Jeff," Ness remarked.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"Well because one, your glasses were on and you only sleep with those when you're _really_ tired, which you weren't," He said.

"I was tired…" I said. Ness could only reply with a chuckle.

"Kay, so I heard you come downstairs and I decided to follow you, is that really a bad thing?" I asked.

"No… not really I guess." We were both silent for a little bit.

"I should let you gaze up at this… sometime when we have the chance back up in Winters," I told him. "You can see every bit of the night sky up there." Ness sighed through his nose.

"I bet it's amazing…" He said, awkwardly. We just lied there, that was all we could do. The cool night air absorbed my skin and made it its own. I glanced my eyes to Ness, whom was still lost in the stars. Was he trying to find something, or did he always look up to the sky like that? On the back of my mind, the darker Ness from my dream still lingered, but the real Ness was still real and… Nessy… I bit my lip.

"Ness?" I asked. At first, I wasn't even sure if he had heard me, but then he responded by humming.

"…"

"What did you want to say when we were out with the fireflies?" He asked, glancing at me. I bit my lip harder then. I hadn't really rehearsed what I was going to communicate yet.

"… You know I care for you… as a friend, don't you?" I asked. Ness laughed.

"Well I _hope_ so… at least I _hope_ you aren't traveling with us to _kill_ me or something," He said humorously. For some reason, the dark Ness flashed through my mind with the bat over his head.

"Why would I do _that_?" I asked. Ness shrugged.

"You never know…" He said. My heart skipped a beat.

"… Riiiight. No, seriously… I do," I said. Ness closed his eyes.

"I know that you dope…" I fiddled with my fingers. This was going into a direction I didn't plan on.

"Okay… what I'm trying to say is… I don't want to end up like some friend that will abandon you… you know… like…" I didn't want to bring Pokey into the conversation; that was the last thing I wanted to do. "And if you think I've been acting strange around you… I don't want to mean you any harm. I just don't always approach situations with you very well… and I'm sorry," I said. Ness looked over to me.

"… Did you have that on your mind for a long time?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know…"

"…"

"… I was hoping maybe… to start our friendship over again. Whatever that means… start fresh and forget our awkward moments in the past," I said. Ness hummed.

"You _did_ think this over," He laughed. I flushed, while mentally telling myself not to.

"Okay okay… if it's really bothering you… we can reset our friendship," He said, turning to his side to face me. He looked like he was about to laugh again as he held his hand out.

"Hi there, stranger that happens to be lying with me on my rooftop, my name is Ness," He snickered. I rolled my eyes humorously.

"Hi yourself _Ness_, sorry for randomly landing on _your_ rooftop from the _moon_," I emphasized. "They call me Jeff in my homeland where we grow from old to young." We both shook hands, looking at each other and trying not to laugh, until Ness managed to let off a snort.

"Wow Jeff… how _young_ are you then, _eighty-five_?"

"More like three hundred and forty-five," I replied.

"Well will you be my friend then?" He asked. "You can explore our world with me and Paula if you'd like," He said. I chuckled.

"If you two can mind my overly grown space goggles that are required for me to sustain life on your planet that is," I replied, adjusting my crooked glasses. Ness laughed. Were my glasses_ that _big to him?

"Sure, we don't mind, only as long as you don't mind how _old_ we are… which… now I'm confused," Ness and I laughed until the two of us sighed as we looked back up into space. We were like this for at least ten minutes at the least.

"Jeff… do you ever feel like you're being told something when you're looking up into the night sky?" He asked.

"Like an anonymous voice in my head? Not really. Why?" I asked with a hint of humor behind my voice. Ness shook his head.

"Not like that… I mean, don't you ever feel like… when you're looking up there that, you feel like the sky is… I dunno… telling you something. Something you can't find anywhere here, but is also guiding you somehow. Like you're just a small fragment of something huge… but the whole thing would fall apart if you were to disappear from it…" Ness rambled. I thought of Pokey's phrase when he said that, or, _'The universe would die without him' _as he'd say_._

"I think I know what you mean… sometimes I feel inspired. I feel like there's a hope still when I look up there… like there's still time to make something right in this world, even if its small and you don't say a thing," I said.

"Sometimes I smile… other times I feel like crying when I look up in the stars… I've kept my eye on it, even when I was only a baby according to mom…" We were quiet again, and I could feel my eyes becoming droopy until I closed them. I wasn't too sure, but I had a hunch that Ness's eyes were starting to close as well.

"When I'm out here like this at night… I often feel as if I am the universe or the sky… it becomes a feeling that's hard for me to explain," Ness mumbled. I could only grunt; keeping my eyes closed.

"… I feel it too Ness… I feel it too…"

Both of us lied on the rooftop until the stars consumed us and let us drift to sleep.


	20. Out of Breath

_A/N: Thanks to Red, the Leander, Dream, DanMat6288 and DevirouBa for reviewing my latest chapter, and thanks for all that have given them a read!_

_I finally realized that I suck at keeping myself on my updating schedule. But nonetheless, I wanted to get this one done before this coming week._

_Finally, I got the story to move along; though it still kind of feels like a bridge chapter; not quite to the parts I want to write about a lot, but now I finally can! Yet again, I really hope I didn't rush this too much… I give you all permission to blame me and throw tomatoes at me if the sanctuary boss is a bit rushed. :C_

_Next chapter, I'm sure if you're still reading this, you'll probably be wondering about, because yes, __**he's**__ gonna be barging in ;D Also, Pokey's diary from now on until the diary is done, will take up the majority of the intro's, except next chapter's intro. And the entries will all be scattered throughout different parts of my fic as well. :P _

_Otherwise that, I don't have much else to say for this one. _

_I hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter!_

_EDIT: lol, right when I went to bed at 4 in the morning, I remembered, oh crap I forgot to add something important. I almost ignored it, but I thought, people would question me if I left it out, so I got back and wrote it up! xD I hope no one noticed... and if they did I hope they check again! xS  
_

XxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxX

_May 23, 199X_

_Did I ever tell you that I loved to draw?_

_Anything. Anything that came to my mind, I would draw it. There were fascinating things, or at least I thought as I would draw, even the small pebbles at my feet outside in the back yard. I held my candy bar in my hand as I knelt down to study the pebbles. Some were gray, others blue and purple. And underneath one of these pebbles, was a rolly polly. I loved those insects when I was young; I was always fascinated when it would curl into its own ball. It was possibly something I envied for a long time whenever I would go to school. So I sat on the ground, with my notebook in hand and I drew the creature in its habitat. But even when I look and observe something in real life then try to put it on paper, it would always come out to be a different thing all together. I started from an insect, and then when I looked across the yard to find my mother's pig-like garden ornament under a bush, I quickly would start sketching that as well, almost combining the two until it was a curled pig, sitting under a rock. And oh the fly… as it nestled itself on my knee as it would rub its small hands together. I observed its delicate wings and I added that as well to the curled up pig. _

_After finishing the poor design of what I would call a chimera now, I smiled at how silly it looked, it was a fresh idea, but I thought maybe it could grow into something more. And that was when I was suddenly startled and interrupted._

_A baseball must have flown over the fence and landed in front of me. I paused for a moment as I took another bite of my candy bar. The ball must have come from the new neighbors I thought, there was no other way. I know it would have been polite to throw the ball back into the other yard, but I started sketching the ball as well, started thinking of how the ball came to be and how much it must have done just to get itself wound up in front of my own eyes. That was when I heard a distant door bell, coming from inside my house. Knowing that my mother was out shopping and my father was at work, I got up to answer the door, after the third ring of course. When I opened the door, I froze slightly._

_There he was. Looking at me with innocent; unknowing eyes. I wasn't sure exactly how to respond to his sudden visit at the front of my door step. He cocked his head, looking me over. He seemed nervous as he spoke._

_"Umm… I think my ball landed in your back yard," He said. I stood there for a moment, looking at him through blond locks. There was something different about him… I nodded, closing the door and receiving the ball, remembering how strangely his eyes glittered in the sun. When I returned with the baseball and opened the door, Ness fiddled with his fingers as I handed him the ball. At first, we just stood there._

_"…Well don't you want it back?" I asked him. Ness's mouth curved slightly as he took it into his hands tentatively._

_"Thank you…" He said quietly. "… What's your name?" He asked. This was surprising I thought, considering that most of the kids in the neighborhood didn't even noticed I existed, or didn't want to believe I did. Not that I even cared, but it was nice that someone wanted to know what to call me by. Something awkward settled into my stomach._

_"Pokey…" I said quietly._

_"Poh…key," He pronounced. "My name is Ness…" Ness? What a peculiar name, I thought._

"_Wanna play baseball someday soon at my house?" He asked. Baseball? Me? Was I even physically built for such a game?_

_"I could try…" Was all I could really say. Everything was awkward at the time, and I was sure the boy now known as Ness could feel it too. So he started off back to his house._

_"I'll see you later then," He said almost quietly before running off back to his house. All I could really do then was watch the strange boy walk back into the comfort of his home. Away from me. I almost preferred it that way, seeing him from afar. I was almost hoping that he would come back out, but he didn't. So I walked back inside, Ness still on my mind._

_Ness… I thought._

_I got my notepad back out, and drew everything that came to mind while thinking of the name Ness..._

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 20 Out of Breath_

XxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

When my skin became consciously aware of the cold fresh morning air, I started to stir, wrinkling my nose and becoming interrupted by the great golden morning sun shining through my eye lids. Come to think of it, I thought… it seemed pretty cold, and the surface I was sleeping on was rough, like sandpaper. I opened my eyes, only to flinch.

_We were still on Ness's roof?_

How did I fall asleep up here so comfortably? I thought, while stirring over onto my back to look up at the now cloudless blue sky. The stars were now gone of course, coated by the strength of the sunrays keeping our earth warm and alive. When I heard one's snores, I drifted my eyes over to my other side…

…Only to be startled when I felt an arm swing over and onto my stomach. I recoiled slightly, quickly glancing down to my abdominal section. Surely enough, Ness's arm was slung lazily around my waist while he must have been sleeping, not so soundlessly as I head another snore escape his nostrils. _Great_, I thought embarrassingly as I tried gently to move his arm off of my body while trying to avoid waking him up. However, he would only sling it back up, and soon enough it landed high enough to reach around my chest. The pressure on my neck from bending it up was building up to a boil so I let my head bounce back down on the roof surface. Frowning deeply, I let off a hefty sigh through my nose, all the while blushing as his arm moved again slightly.

_This isn't helping me forget my other previous feelings for you, ya know,_ I thought grumpily while Ness stirred next to me, soon moving his arm away off of my body. _Thank you._ I sighed, finally deciding to scoot away from him. However, Ness yawned, stretching his arms over his head, and once he was done, his other arm soon plopped right back down and hit me, right smack on the face. I hissed, grumbling while my eyes were squinted and my nose was shriveled up.

"G'morning, Jeff," Ness yawned again, moving his hand off of my face. "Sorry 'bout that; didn't mean to hit you," He said with a hint of humor behind his voice. I ruffled the hairs on my forehead.

"Yeah, sure," I grumbled. Ness I was sure was stretching next to me.

"You know I didn't mean to…" Ness said before yawning again. I closed my eyes.

"It's ok Ness, don't worry about it… how'd we end up sleeping up here anyways?" I asked, putting my arms behind my head.

"How do you think? We just forgot what we were doing and fell asleep, I've done it many times," He replied. I paused, sinking in his statement in my mind without letting off some sort of opinion.

"… You fell asleep on your roof before?" I asked.

"… Yeah," Ness replied. I kind of thought that was odd, but honestly after being up here with him, I couldn't dock him much points.

"I see," I said, watching a bird fly over us, only after leaving behind a nice present that fell right down at us.

"_Gah!_" We both yelped as we rolled in opposite directions, hoping to avoid the drop of bird feces that had almost hit us. Turning over to the space between us, I saw the nice small fresh white bird pie sitting between us. Ness sighed in defeat.

"I guess we should get off the roof now," Ness said.

"Good idea," I replied.

---

"So one time when my brother and parents were away, someone thought it was a good idea to try breaking into our house. I was the only one home of course," We heard Picky say. I looked over to the clock, which surprisingly read a little before ten.

"Oh wow, were you scared?" Paula asked.

"Me? Naw, I didn't get scared. I don't get scared easily," He replied. Ness looked over to me while shaking his head as we walked into the living room.

"Picky, why aren't you in _school_?" Ness questioned Picky, who was sitting on the couch with Paula. Picky rubbed his nose then pointed back at him.

"Why aren't _you_ in school?" He countered. Ness stumbled with the sudden accusation, fiddling his fingers looking around the room until Picky snickered.

"You just don't want me around Pa-"

"_Picky, go to school!_" Ness said again biting his bottom lip. Picky instead stuck his tongue out at him. Ness growled in a fit of rage.

"Who wants waffles?" Debbie asked, walking in. Picky jumped up excited.

"_Me!" _He exclaimed, walking into the kitchen with Ness's mom. Ness gritted his teeth as I glanced at Paula, who shrugged with apathy.

"Well, I know Picky loves his waffles, doesn't he?" Debbie smiled at him. Ness crossed his arms.

"Enough for him to skip a school day for it, _obviously_," Ness grumbled.

"Ness, Picky's going through some rough times too, so let the boy take the day off," Debbie said, as she put a fresh batch of waffles on Picky's plate. Picky gave Debbie the puppy-eyed look as he took his first big bite of fresh waffles, which were now getting to my appetite. Once she turned the other way, Picky stuck his tongue back at Ness, which was covered in his broken down food. Ness growled with rage before stomping upstairs and slamming the door.

"Picky..." Paula said. Picky shrugged.

"He'll get over it in the next five minutes or so. Want one of my waffles?" He asked with a big syrup covered grin as he held up a soaked waffle with his fork. Paula giggled in the fashion that she wasn't interested.

"That's ok, I'm sure she's making more for all of us…" She replied. I finally sighed.

"Let me go get him…" I said, walking off as my stomach let off a big gurgle. I paused in mid stride, frowning as my stomach replied again. Paula snorted.

"Looks like someone is hungry," Debbie said, with a plate full of waffles. Paula walked ahead of me.

"It's ok Jeff, I'll go settle him down, you settle down your tummy," She said. It was at the point where I couldn't stand smelling the damn waffles without wanting to scarf one down.

"Thanks…" I said; wandering over to the table before Debbie set my plate down.

"You're so nice for doing this," I said. Debbie smiled.

"Oh just be quiet and eat your breakfast," She ordered. I had already taken a bite anyways. A big one.

"Yes ma'am," I replied. About three minutes later, Paula had led down a still grumpy Ness, who slouched into his chair and gave Picky the eye.

"Don't look so down Ness, the sun is out shining and the birds are singing, and _I don't have to go to school_," Picky smiled before eating his last bite. Ness snorted.

"Yeah, well guess what, me either," Ness smiled, taking a bite of his waffles.

"Yeah me either," Paula said.

"Me three," I replied.

"Is there a time when you do need to go to school?" Ness asked. I bit into my waffles.

"Yes."

"Oh."

Debbie sat at our table with her waffles in front of her, making a giant grin before slicing up her waffles.

"So boys… how were the stars?" She asked, taking a bite. Ness and I glanced at each other awkwardly.

"It was alright mom," He replied.

"Find any aliens?" Picky asked cocking his head. Ness rolled his eyes.

"_No_ Picky, there were no aliens," He replied, taking a big bite.

"Ah yes, your clothes should be ready for you in the laundry room, so go help yourselves once you're done eating and when you're ready to leave. I'm sure you three have a big journey ahead of you," She smiled. Ness smiled as well.

"Yes, the _three_ of us," He said with glee, looking at Picky in the eye. Picky frowned.

"It's nothing against you, really Picky," Paula laughed. Picky slouched in his chair.

"Aww come on, you said you wanted home, so here you are," Ness said.

"Yeah, well it's not like I really wanted to come home," He replied. Debbie took a sip of her orange juice as Picky got out of his chair.

"Thanks for breakfast… I'm going back home for the afternoon. See you guys later," He said, walking out of the kitchen. Ness frowned.

"Picky, wait," Ness said, getting out of his chair. But nonetheless, it was too late. Ness sighed.

"I didn't mean to make him mad," He said, sitting back down. Debbie had a crooked smile.

"Yes, well you have to remember that Picky's lifestyle is much different from yours now. You have to remember that, and not put him down for it," She replied. Ness took another bite of his waffle.

"If he really wanted to escape from his lifestyle, then he would have gone to school," He said. Debbie shook her head.

"Oh Ness…" She said as she finished her food. She ate rather fast I thought…

"Well, I'm going to go water my flowers now. You three check in with me before you go," She said.

"Thanks mom," Ness smiled as he finished his breakfast.

"You're always welcome, Ness dear."

---

It was about time when Ness and Paula got ready and packed for our trip back to That One Place I Never Wanted To Return To That I Always Have And Always Will Dread. I sat on their couch; taking out the small red yo-yo I practically took from Ness's room without asking and examined it's screwed up balance. I couldn't really hear specifically but Ness and Paula were walking around talking about something I was sure I had no connection to whatsoever. I wondered if it was going to be like that the whole time. Sooner than I expected, Ness and Paula rushed down the stairs. Paula almost tripped down the last step, but Ness prevented the fall from happening. I put the yo-yo away before anyone could notice.

"You two finally ready then?" I asked, straightening my glasses. Ness looked around the house.

"Kinda…" Ness replied. I smiled slightly, plopping right down on the couch.

"Take your time, I don't mind," I said. I was sure Ness looked a bit puzzled at my mellowness but Paula was right on the dot.

"You just don't wanna go back there," She replied while I frowned in anger in mid sentence.

"Well… I know you don't want to go back but… it would only be for a little while… I promise by tonight we'll be sleeping in a hotel in Summers," Ness said with a smile on his face. "A room that will be far from Winters if that's what you want," He said. I sighed and paused for a moment, letting the now familiar area back into my skin before we had to go. I stood up.

"Alright, I'm ready when you two are then… let's leave and get business over with," I said, picking up my bag. Ness and Paula looked at each other and smiled.

When we walked outside in the sunny day, Debbie was tending to her flowers with love and care. Was that the kind of life we were supposed to be living too? One where we didn't have to worry about ours or anyone's future and just live like normal people should and have time nourishing other lives such as flowers with ease? Well… I never saw myself watering flowers at least… Ness stuck up to her and wrapped his arms behind her back. As a joke, I think Debbie took the hose she held and quickly squirted Ness in the face. Ness laughed, grabbing his face in protection.

"Breaking into my garden before leaving his own mother I see, well this calls for a special punishment, come here," She said, grabbing Ness around the shoulder, taking off his hat and rubbing his head with her fist, which was more of a man's gesture of affection, but for some reason it suited her as Ness laughed in protest. "Come and give your mother a hug," She said, finally wrapping her son in her arms. Ness settled down and was cradled by her. All the while Paula and I just stared, almost impatiently as we looked at each other and chuckled. It was nice to see, that someone in this world could still make one of us laugh and smile.

"Hey you two, get over here and hug us, come on I won't bite ya!" She said, opening her arm. Paula grabbed my hand as she literally dragged me over to them as I was finally smothered in the giant embrace of Ness's mom. She squeezed the three of us until finally letting go.

"Now be sure to change your underwear, no one wants to smell your aroma from a mile away," She said pointing to all three of us, especially Ness, who's face had just turned crimson.

"_Mooom,"_ He whined. Paula couldn't keep a straight face as I was trying not to even snort, but it was useless. Debbie sighed.

"But most of all… look out for each other, stay clear from trouble… you know how long I could go on rambling like typical mothers do. Just be safe for me," She said, finally kissing Ness on the forehead, who in return whined again in embarrassment.

"You'll get over it once you grow up Ness," She smiled. Ness frowned.

"… Now go do what you need to do," She smiled winking. Ness shook his hat back into shape and plopped it onto his head.

"I'll call you tonight Mom," Ness said, as he finally started to walk away.

"I'll pick up," She said, watering her flowers again. Paula and I followed Ness out of the front yard.

"I'll miss you!" Ness said louder as we walked off. His mother in return waved us all goodbye. All we could do was wave back and walk away to a quiet street.

And once we knew we were out of sight, we disappeared from the green sunny streets of Onett…

---

Back we were. Back in a land of cloudy gloomy skies and atmospheres as the sharp difference between Onett and Winters kicked in. Our legs sunk down into the blistering cold snow.

"We'll need to get used to this contrasting weather if we're going to teleport more often," Paula said, grabbing her shoulder in attempt to keep warm. "I forgot how cold it was up here already." Ness let off a steamed sigh.

"Where's the lab?" He said scanning his eyes around the place. Our eyes looked around the area, until my eyesight froze in a certain frame. Something in my chest sank.

"Ness… you didn't manage to quite make it to the lab… did you?" I asked. Ness grunted in question.

"Why? This isn't Winters?"

"No… this is Winters…" I frowned.

"… Are we lost then?" Ness asked. I shook my head, taking another glance at the gated mansion-like academy from the distance.

"No… we're not lost," I said.

"Then where's the lab?" Paula said. "All I see is a fancy building over there," She said.

"Hmmm, maybe they can provide us with directions, at least to Stone Hedge, then we can find our way from there," Ness said. I widened my eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, trying to stop him in almost a fit of panic.

"What, why not? Do you know what that building is? Just say it," He replied with a hint of impatience. I sighed.

"Look, I just don't want to go there," I told him.

"Why not?" He asked. I paused.

"Be… because I just don't want to. I know where we are, trust me, the lab is just a few miles from here," I said, forgetting about the lake issue. "Or… can't you teleport to the lab from here? You didn't seem to have a problem when you tested it out by yourself," I said. Ness shrugged.

"I can't guarantee that we'll get there this time anyways. Just tell me why you _really_ can't go to that building to convince me to stop walking towards it," He said as he started marching through the snow towards the academy. I growled in hostility.

"_Ness!"_ However, Ness just kept marching, and he wasn't going to stop unless if I told the truth.

"Okay Ness, if you _really_ want to know, that building-"

"That's your school, isn't it?" Paula added. I frowned.

"Yeah…" I replied. Ness paused for a moment and looked back at me.

"… It's not like you _hated_ your school so much that you can't _bear_ to go back, right? You said yourself that you would let me…" For some reason Ness paused in mid sentence. I sighed.

"Well Ness, now that you _know_ that building is my school, can you now trust me that I know the way? I went by myself down to the lab to go find you two, I know where we are," I said. Ness frowned.

"Don't you want to see the people you care about again before we continue…?" He asked. I paused as Tony and Maxwell raced through my mind.

"I can't do that, I can't see them now. Besides are you crazy, the place is gated, they wouldn't let you two in, and if I got in, they wouldn't let me back out. We're on a mission Ness, not vacation. Da- I mean… Dr. Andonuts said that the sky runner would be ready today didn't he? So let's go back to the lab, get the sky runner and get the hell out of here!" I told him, trying not to sound too harsh. Ness frowned.

"… But don't you want to at least stop by and say hi? I don't even know when we'll be back here… if ever…" He said. There was a long pause. Damn it, it wasn't like I _didn't_ want to see Maxwell and Tony now… it was just that I couldn't. I finally let off air through my nostrils and marched the way towards the lab.

"This time Ness, convince me why I really _need_ to go see them, and I'll stop to think about it. Otherwise, this is the way back," I told him. Paula sighed.

"Jeff…" I didn't look over my shoulders to see the look on Ness and Paula's faces, but eventually, I heard one's running footsteps merging closer to me.

"Jeff wait, don't go without us!" Paula said. "Ness, come one, don't just stand there!" She said. Poor Paula, I thought, always trying to bring the two of us back on friendly terms, though it didn't really seem like we were truly fighting yet.

"Jeff what do I have to do?" Ness hollered at me. "What do I have to do to help you into happier spirits? I know deep down inside that you miss your friends here…" He said as his voice became hushed. I thought of what he was trying to do for me. We visited his folks and friends, and then he promised Paula that he'd do the same for her. And now he's trying to convince me that I'm next? I finally slowed down to a stop. I took a minute to collect what I was to say next before turning around to him, who was standing at the top of the snowy hill now, Paula being the monkey in the middle between us. I smiled, assuring him that I wasn't angry.

"Ness, I really appreciate you for what you're trying to do for me. But I can't. I can't go back to them, then leave and make them worried; I want them to believe that I'm safe. And besides… they're not my only friends, you two are my friends as well. We decided that last night, right? And those friends can wait, because I need to help you two out more than anyone. Instead of visiting our folks every once and a while over time… let's just get this journey over with so we can go back to our families and friends for good. What do you say?" I asked. Ness's features softened after I said that, though not fully into happier spirits, but enough for him to smile.

"Jeff… okay. Let's go and get this chore over with once and for all," He said, walking down towards us. Paula sighed.

"Well it's a good thing I didn't have to force another hugging session on the two of you," She laughed. I chuckled.

"Hopefully something like that won't happen, anytime soon," I replied as Ness joined our party again.

"Let's go, move ahead! I smell a sanctuary under my nose!" Ness stated, pointing to the future.

---

When we reached down to Lake Tess, I noticed how much at awe Ness and Paula were when they looked at the glorious lake.

"It's so pretty!" She said. Ness crossed his arms.

"I guess we have to walk around it, there's no other way," He said. I paused, thinking about the last time I was here and how that giant… purple dinosaur thing helped me and bubble monkey across the lake. Why, when I first saw the thing, wasn't I so shocked? Though now, there was none in sight, and I didn't know how to summon such an odd creature.

"Is there something on your mind, Jeff?" Paula asked. I scratched my head.

"Well… let's just say that if there was a ride across the lake, it's somewhere swimming in the lake at the moment? I don't know… if I tried explaining what I meant… you two would think it to be really silly and dumb," I said. Ness shrugged.

"We've seen many things that would sound really dumb if we tried explaining them to others, like that spook? Who would believe such a creature to exist in the first place?" Ness laughed. I chuckled. He was right. Before I was about to say anything however, Mr. Ziggy poked his nose out of Paula's bag to sniff around.

"Mr. Ziggy, what is it?" She asked as he tried wiggling out of her bag and jumped out. He waddled slowly towards the edge of the dock we were standing on, and he just stood there, antenna straight up almost like he was picking up a radio signal. Then nothing. I didn't know how long we stood there in complete silence.

"… Mr. Ziggy?" Paula said.

"Well… we're making great progress now," Ness sighed. It was moments later but it was a few moments that were subtle but real. I could have sworn I heard something under the banks of the lake… rumbling… was something emerging. It was a minute later that it was really noticeable. Ness took a few steps back.

"What's going on?!" Paula tried running up to the Mr. Saturn, but Ness stopped her as she protested. I just stood and watched.

_**SWOOOSH!!**_

Suddenly, the climax came as the head of a giant creature crashed up from underneath the water of the lake. Water rained everywhere; even some splashed us as I uncovered my eyes again to see what the club at my school always marveled at.

"What… is that thing?" Ness said shocked. Tessie cocked her round head as her long neck tailed behind it, looking down at us with round black eyes. The giant creature then trailed her eyes down at Mr. Ziggy who looked back up at her, with no sign of surprise whatsoever. I wondered if the two species were linked somehow. Finally after a bit of staring, Tessie lowered her head for Mr. Ziggy as he jumped onto her head, and the magical creature lifted Mr. Ziggy back up high in the sky and soon turned to its side, almost in a gesture to let the three of us onto her back. But none of us seemed brave enough to get on her. What was actually keeping me from doing so? I got on her no problem the last time, maybe because I wasn't in such a rush? No, that didn't make sense…

"… Jeff you rode _that?"_ Ness asked. I bit my lip, walking towards the magical being.

"She didn't seem to mind… it's not like I would _swim_ across…" I said, emphasizing my point.

"She wants to help us," Paula noted. Ness and I looked at her.

"She's telling me through my mind that she wants to help us across the lake," She smiled, pacing past us and gently climbing onto the purple Tessie. Ness protested.

"But Paula, what if that was-"

"Come on Ness, let's trust her here, I've done this before anyways," I laughed as Tessie sneezed water out of her nostrils like a steam engine. Ness sighed.

"Alright alright, she doesn't seem bad really," He mentioned as I let Ness climb onto her back before me. Paula looked up to Tessies head as Mr. Ziggy poked his nose over to look back down to her. Finally the creature set sail. Ness was in awe of everything, but at the same time, he seemed kind of tentative about the whole thing. Tessie let off a cry and Ness jumped in surprise. It almost looked as if he was about to fall off her back, but Paula and I held him still. Ness shivered again.

"I can't wait to go back home and tell mom that I rode a twelve foot tall sea animal," Ness said as his voice jumped. Was it from the cold or just the situation? It was pretty chilly now that we were in on the middle of the lake in a cold atmosphere. _The middle of the lake…_ I thought.

"Shouldn't be long now…" I said almost mutely. "Just don't fall into the water…" And sure enough, we made it to the other side of Lake Tess. Tessie lowered her head for Mr. Ziggy as she parked on the beach for us to depart onto. Paula got off easily, though Ness seemed to have trouble getting off for some reason as I slid down onto the side of the small cliff carefully but quickly. I held out my hand for him, but he didn't seem to take it. Tessie then turned her long neck to get her nose behind his back to nudge him onto land, which made Ness surprised as he jumped, successfully, but not gracefully on the snowy ground next to me. I kept him from falling down onto his face however as I grabbed his upper torso. When Ness found his ground, he rubbed his nose.

"Thanks," He said before sneezing. As Tessie made her goodbyes, she finally descended back down in the lake banks as Mr. Ziggy could only stare, so we let him. He looked so entranced for some odd reason. Paula had to pick him for us to continue on.

---

It was when we approached a certain pencil statue that I noticed that we were near that odd maze I remembered. I noticed a note hung by the side of the cave, and while Ness and Paula were busy getting rid of the giant pencil, I made my way to take the scrap of yellow paper to read it:

_Dear Dear Passerby,_

_I am ashamed to announce that my maze isn't an active attraction no more and I have moved on deep into Scaraba desert to create the greatest puzzling invention humankind has ever created. If you need through the caves, by all means, pass on through, but it's as empty as a foreclosed home. If you need me, find me, I'll be waiting in the walking dungeon man._

_Sincerely,_

_…Brick Road_

Hmm I thought. I wondered if we were ever going to cross paths with him or for me again. I remembered shying away from him the first time I met him, it was a rather strange encounter. Maybe back then it was fresh, so he wanted my opinion. Ness called me to join them again, so I shrugged and walked away without a second thought.

"It's kind of funny that you're heading this way without asking me if it's the right way or not," I said humorously. Ness had a sort of confident grin on his face.

"I know because we're getting near," He said. I formed an 'O' on my lips.

"A sanctuary is near," Paula said. Ness stretched an arm over his head.

"It's been a long time… last time was just around Saturn Valley wasn't it?" I asked.

"Before we even made it into Fourside at least," Ness said. "God, we barely even knew each other then, now look at us, we're an actual team now." I chuckled at his remark.

"Yeah, we had a lot of fights in the past time, but we pulled through," I said. Ness hummed in agreement.

"Well here's the cave… kind of nervous as well, but… I can't wait to gain this next part of me," Ness nearly mumbled as he walked in front of us into the cave. I looked at his back before proceeding with them. I smiled to myself.

---

The deeper we proceeded through the cave, the colder it got as Paula and even Ness who tried to hide it, shivered.

"Baw, rope, I suck at climbing rope," Ness said with annoyance and sighed.

"Paula you go first," He said. Paula's expression went under disgust.

"_What?_ You go up first!" Paula protested. Ness frowned.

"I don't understand why it's such a big-" Paula quickly emphasized the fact that she was wearing a skirt, grabbing the rim of it and tugging it in a gesture that she was wearing one. Ness closed his eyes.

"Right right…" He said, slapping his forehead. "I'll just go," He said, taking the rope and struggling the climb up as I tailed along.

When all three of us got to the top, Ness suddenly froze as he had his eyes locked up ahead. Paula looked the same way while I was trying to see what the whole deal was about.

"It's right ahead…" Ness let off a deliberate sigh. "Well, let's get this over with," He said as he walked in front of us. I could see the bright exit to our left as we passed it by and strolled down into the colder depths of the cave.

---

Ness's chest became slightly tight again as we emerged the area that was crowded in what looked to be multiple red mushrooms. How odd… I thought; that such a cold frosty place could even host mushrooms. This had to be the area Ness was talking about then. Such unusual things like that shouldn't happen on their own. Though all we could do was stand there. Waiting.

_"I've been waiting for you… Ness…" _A spiritual being spoke. _"If you must obtain this part of yourself… then you must face me… if you dare so…"_ Ness gulped.

"I have to…" Ness said. There was a pause. I gulped slightly. Was it going to be like last time, easier or even worse? Who knew…

_"… So be it."_ All the sudden, the ground below our feet started crackling, all until something big arose from the ground, making the dirt and rock around us crumble. All three of us jumped back as we looked at what the heck could have jumped out at us. And even though my eyes widened at the result, it was to be expected that the being was going to be out of this world… or more like kind of pathetic.

"… A giant… mushroom?" I spoke out loud. The over-grown fungus sneered its narrow glazed eyes down at the three of us; cracking its smooth skin to create a torn sinister smile down at us. The being started to laugh as a thick aroma started filling the air. I covered my mouth with my sleeve. Paula and Ness, and soon enough I started coughing as a few of its minions came running after us. Paula immediately cast PSI fire among the army of mushroom, which had burned to a crisp almost instantaneously. It was around this time that the strange, thick aroma returned into my lungs, replacing the wanted oxygen. It was getting hard to breathe as I rummaged through my bag.

"Cover your eyes," Ness coughed as a blinding flash filled the tunnel. I didn't blink in time, and it clashed uncomfortably with my clouding eyes.

Bottle rocket… _didn't I have a bottle rocket left?_ I thought in a panic as I roughly rummaged through my bag. My head started to sway. I tried breathing in again, but it was no use.

"Jeff! You alright!?" I heard Ness yell out to me, though I perceived it very faintly. When I looked over to the giant shroom, whose face, might I add, looked rather like a clown from a nightmare at the time, pointy teeth with a bright white complexion as its red topped head looked as if it was running slowly down its face like mud. The weird aroma came back once more as another burst of flames anguished the giant enemy, flashing colors, I knew on the back of my mind couldn't be created by fire alone. I choked as everything around me started to spin.

"Jeff!" Paula cried as I felt myself fall onto my side.

"Shit, he's either mushroomized or poisoned, he isn't doing good." That was the last thing I heard, before I finally blacked out.

---

_May 25__th__, 199X,_

_Just like every other kid in the neighborhood, I was excited, enthralled- school was almost done. For me, this meant a whole three months to myself, doing what I loved and did best; draw, play games, or just take long naps in the back yard under the tree. I loved summer, just like everyone else. I never had to interact with anyone I didn't like or didn't know. I thought though that… possibly this time would be different. Maybe I would finally, if ever, have at least someone to play with- someone that wasn't you Picky. And I apologize; you just weren't old enough yet for me to understand._

_I sat under the tree in the front yard, playing a simple game of Tetris on my old game boy. Though in reality, you might know why I was really sitting out there._

_A car drove up next door, a small white sedan. A young man in nice tidy clothing stepped out, loosening the tie around his neck with a sigh as he shut the door. As he grabbed his suitcase and walked towards the front door, it burst open, and a hyper-active child ran up to him, and jumped at him to embrace his own father._

_"Haha, you're an excited little one, aren't you Ness?" He smiled, picking the small excited boy over his head and swinging him around before putting him down. It was then that he whispered something in Ness's ear. Ness then nodded, eyes lightening up as a big grin spread across his face. He looked excited, I thought, taking his hand as they walked inside their new humble abode. I wasn't sure but I thought he spotted me at first before he ended up past the door as it shut behind him. I was zoned out, zoned out enough that I didn't even notice one's footprints approaching me. A newspaper swatted my head._

_"Inside Porky; mom and dad have many things to do," My father ordered sternly before tugging at my shirt to make me stand up properly. I groaned, trying to fight his grip, until he grabbed my arm and forced me inside the house. I dropped my Tetris game in the process._

_---_

"I think he's coming to his senses now…" I heard familiar voices talking, though they were faint but they were subtle.

"Wake up Jeff you idiot, we're here…" I heard Ness say. It was then that I felt someone's hands lightly slap my cheeks in attempt to awaken me. I tried blinking as the bright gray-white sky made me blink multiple times. The images of Ness and Paula's faces filled my eyes sight as Paula must have put my glasses on for me. I finally must have figured that I was laying in the snow below them. Was the monster vanquished then? Were we already done?

"Wha…" I was a bit confused. "What happened…?" I asked. Ness sighed.

"I forgot that you aren't like Paula and I. You got sick from the poisonous spores and you passed out. It's ok, we got rid of him and I got what I needed. Do you need a little bit to collect yourself?" Ness asked. I blinked a couple more times before I slowly sat up to the sound of raindrops on a nearby pond.

"… It's only raining on that certain spot…" I said looking at the small pearly pond a few feet away from me. I decided not to question the logic of it all… I could only assume it made sense to Ness in a way. I took in a deep breath.

"For a while I couldn't breathe…" I said. "I'm really sorry you two had to deal with the nuisance yourselves," I added, getting up onto my feet, wobbling slightly. Paula, who walked up beside me, kept me on my feet.

"Thanks…" I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"It's alright… because now we need you to guide us back to the lab… if you don't mind that is," Ness said. I remembered then. My spirits suddenly sank down to the snow again.

"Right… the sky runner…" I said, feeling my self confidence fade away instantly. I sighed.

"You done here then?" I asked. Ness and Paula grunted. I bit my lip.

"Let's get going then…"

---

Out the cave we went and through Stone Hedge, where all three of us looked frantically around us as we heard the nearby cries of bears and other beastly like creatures. I shivered at the thought of my first encounter of the caveman just out from under the hole in the center. Paula clutched her hand to her chest.

"Something is terribly wrong with this area…" She noted, keeping her eyes towards the center of the stone figures. "Do you think we'll be here again…?" Ness and I were quiet at first, keeping our eyes straight ahead. Paula gave off a silent whine behind us.

"Most likely… possibly… dunno," Ness said. I frowned, bringing my eyes down to the snow, then turning my sight around behind me to give the area one last glance. It was around the time when I went to change views to ahead of me that I nearly had a heart attack…

I could have sworn, I saw what looked like a humanoid, metallic being, hiding in the distance through the trees.

In a panic, I turned swiftly back to the direction I saw the _thing_, scanning the area frantically, until looking all around me in attempt to spot the being. Ness and Paula paused at my odd behavior. My heart was hammering against my chest.

"Jeff, what is it?!" Ness asked worried. I was unresponsive as I kept looking around me. _Nowhere_ I thought. _I could have sworn I just saw…_ I let off a strangled sigh.

"…Nothing… it's nothing," I said, putting my hand over my heart and marching swiftly past Ness and Paula. I was sure that Ness and Paula exchanged awkward glances before following me. I tried settling my breathing down, thinking of all the possibilities, even though my dark past still lingered on the back of my mind. I closed my eyes.

_It was probably just my eyes playing tricks on me still…_

---

There it was I thought. There was the _bastard_.I bit my lip. Was he going to kick me out again? Or was he going to plaster a smile on? Either of those? _Why did I even care?_ We only needed to pick up the sky runner, which I hoped would take us to where we needed to go. I frowned at the thought of actually needing him to continue to where we needed to go. He was actually _helping_ us I thought. Compared to what I've done… I've only caused Ness and Paula trouble. I was sure he didn't mind helping out Ness and Paula… maybe he wanted to… _God, he pissed me off so much…_

Something indigestible settled down into my stomach as Ness and Paula walked up to the lab door. Paula rung the door bell.

"Jeff you're going to have to face him sometime… this shouldn't take long," Ness told me. I bit my lip.

"What you say isn't long is an eternity for me, Ness," I grumbled back. Ness sighed.

"Then don't say anything then. Paula and I can do all the talking and you can just sit on the outskirts," He said. I nodded.

"Alright, I'll be out here then," I told him, until Paula yanked me back into my previous position.

"Paula _what?"_ I asked impatiently. Paula looked up at me with a stern look. I rolled my eyes.

"_Fine…"_ It was then that the door opened, though the one to greet us was his so called friendly caveman again. I didn't like trusting the thing still…

The overgrown gorilla man grunted as it offered the three of us a slice of jerky again. After the three of us declined before it ushered us inside the cold and lonely building. Looking around the white brick walls, I spotted it; the sky runner, sitting in the back of the giant room, where it stood the first time I saw it. Assumingly so, Dr. Andonuts was there too, knelt down, I assumed, oiling the hinges in its slide-down door. The two monkeys were there too, ears perking up as they heard our intrusion.

"Good good, you kids are back in time… the sky runner should work perfectly fine now…" Dr. Andonuts spoke in his older, calm- but not so content voice. He made a low cough as he slowly stood up.

"My knees are starting to go out on me these past few weeks… hopefully they'll last for a little while longer…" Dr. Andonuts said, almost in a hush. When he looked up to us, and his eyes met mine, he froze slightly, quickly glancing away. The butterflies in my chest constricted painfully. Dr. Andonuts sighed.

"We really appreciate you doing this for us, doctor," Ness said. The Doc quickly waved a hand up, straightening the neck of his shirt before walking away.

"It's no trouble… before you go, I must get something…" He said quietly, walking weakly downstairs into his basement. Paula looked back at me, in which my eyes were locked to the stairway the doc descended down.

"Jeff, loosen up," She said politely. I didn't realize that my hands were now fists dangling down my sides; they must have been either pearly white or maybe a shade of blue. Though when I did let my hands unravel, I could feel my blood flow to my fingertips once more. Ness said nothing as the tension grew once more as Dr. Andonuts walked back up the stairs, this time carrying a suit case. What was he planning to do anyways, I thought? Dr. Andonuts set the case on top of his central table, putting his hand a top it to lay it down flat. For some reason, I took a step back, especially when he rest his gray eyes on me again.

"… I want you to take this… son…" He said, clearing his throat. My eyes furrowed. _What?_

"... I don't know if I can do that…" I barely said. Dr. Andonuts stared at me again. His gray eyes through his big round glasses were dull and worn, he looked exhausted. He didn't seem to be in the mood to argue.

"Don't take this for me though… take it for yourself, I know it will be useful to you-"

"Why are you really giving that to me?" I asked curiously. I couldn't describe the kind of tone I used.

"What is it?" Paula asked. Dr. Andonuts wrinkled his nose.

"… I'll just put it in the sky runner then…" He said, picking up the case again. Ness and Paula were quiet once more, looking back at me. I bit my lip.

"Wait…" I said, making Dr. Andonuts stop in place. There was a pause.

"… I'll take it…" _What the hell was I saying?_ Dr. Andonuts sighed.

"Very well…" He said, putting the case down by his feet. He turned around.

"… You may leave with the sky runner when you wish to. In the meantime, I must be down in my basement… I have a lot of work to do… good luck with your travels…" He said quietly again, taking one last glance at Ness and Paula and one last long stare at me before descending away from our sights again.

"Good bye Doctor…" Ness said. Then it was just a matter of the two of them to wait for me to break out of my reverie. _That was… strange…_

"… Jeff you ready to go then?" Ness asked quietly with a faint smile. I paused before shaking my head.

"Okay… let's go to Summers then…" I mumbled, walking-wobbling towards the Sky Runner, picking the mysterious suitcase along the way, which was a decent weight, but wasn't impossible to carry. It was fairly quiet from then on; I figured that either Ness or Paula was afraid to say something to me or they just didn't have anything good or special to say. We settled inside the machine, fastening ourselves snug inside. The lab roof was open and ready for us to take flight. And as I looked around the dash for the ignition, my eyes lied on a small, peculiar book, one with notes and scribbles sticking out of it in multiple corners. I took the small book into my hands, quickly thumbing through hand-written pages.

_Were these his personal notes?_

"Whatcha find, Jeff?" Ness asked. I frowned, closing the book and slipping it in my coat pocket.

"Something I must have left behind in the Sky Runner by mistake… " I lied, before turning the Sky Runner on and making it a float.

And even though, we were up and out of Dr. Andonuts's lab then… I still had a strange feeling of pain… pain throughout my entire being.

---

_May 25, 199X,_

_I marveled at my new piece that I had named Ness even before it became to be on the piece of paper in my hands. There were many pictures on the page, but most of the page happened to be covered in stars and planets, or whatever I thought of when I thought of the night sky. I drew the baseball that fell into my back yard as a comet, flying through the night sky. On the bottom of the page was the young boy himself, though drawn poorly at the time, I was no good at proportions then. Something about this picture made me smile, as I carefully put the page back in its notebook and stashed it on top of my bed. I went downstairs, past my father who was heading up. I thought a good PB and J sandwich sounded wonderful then…_

_"__**Lardna, we're out of toilet paper!"**__ My father yelled down stairs. My mother, who was busy watching her afternoon television while knitting another sweater put the yarn down in a fit._

_"Well then I'll just have to go to the store again and get some! You use too much toilet paper at a time!" She yelled back up. I heard father open the bathroom door upstairs walking around in a fit. I wasn't really sure why, I could only assume to find Kleenex as a replacement. I finished my last bite of my sandwich before he started yelling down the stairs again. It sounded like he had flushed the toilet. I got up to put my plate in the sink._

_"__**Lardna, where did you put the plunger?"**__ He yelled again. Lardna let off an aggravated groan._

_"I don't __**know**__, Aloysius! Maybe try looking downstairs," She replied. I was about to walk up the stairs until my father stormed down the steps, face red and flushed. _

_"Move out of the way, Porky," He told me, storming off towards the kitchen. I walked upstairs to my room…_

_Though when I got there, my notebook was sprawled open as multiple pages were torn out; pieces of it scattered on the floor. Father wouldn't do something like that…_

_I went into the bathroom to wash my hands, though in reality, I went to see before he returned… My heart constricting as I saw…_

_In the toilet, most of my finished, drawn on pages; the one entitled "Ness" floating on top in the toilet…_

_All soaked and covered in father's feces… _

_---_

"Gah-" I said out of reflex as I heard and felt a slight out of control jerk emerge from under the steering wheel of the air craft. It was momentary, but it wasn't a really swell sign. I looked out the small round window. _A sea… some palm trees here and there…_

"Paula, do you know if we're getting near or not?" I asked. Paula grunted in confusion.

"Not sure…" She replied. I frowned; keeping my eyes peered onto the land way below us. Another mechanical jerk, this time, it was noticeable enough for Ness and Paula.

"What was that?" Ness questioned. I growled.

"Stupid old man… the thing's giving way _again_?" I grumbled.

"Did he fix it right?" Paula asked. I tried flipping the machine on into a lower gear as I steered the machine lower to the ground.

"He either didn't fix the real problem, or he put in a replacement part that's only temporary… though why in hell would he do that?" I asked indirectly out loud.

"We aren't going to crash… are we?" Ness asked in a nervous tone. I was silent as another jerk in the machine gave way.

"Everyone look for an open sign for Summers… it can't be too far from here, I know Summers is off the ocean," I said, trying to keep the machine tamed as it gave off another violent jerk, this time twitching to its right. Ness and Paula yelped slightly, until frantically looking out the multiple windows in the machine. It was around this time that a flashing red exclamation point came on in alarm next to the ignition. I bit my lip, starting to steer the thing down to the ground.

"We're above some sort of city… I'm not sure what city yet though…" Ness said, before Paula pointed a finger.

"Summers… I see the sign…" She said as the machine violently gave way enough for all of us to fall over. All three of us yelped as I tried gaining my seat back.

_"Jeff, do something!" _Ness yelped. I gritted my teeth.

"_I can only do so much,"_ I replied sternly, wrestling with the control panel.

"_Jeff, the water!"_ Paula exclaimed. _"Land it in the water!"_ I bit my lip wincing at her idea. I peered my eyes down at the waters with a nervous glance. _Then that would require me to…_

"Good thinking, Paula," I told her as I mentally accused her statement. "Hold on to your things, this landing will be rough," I told them. Ness and Paula were busy discarding the things they didn't need so that swimming to shore would be less of a hassle in the long run. Less of a hassle for _them_ at least… I thought. I gritted my teeth tightly as the machine finally went out of my control over the blues of the water. I tried steering it as close to shore as possible. All of us held onto each other for dear life as the sky runner plunged right in…

---

It was a good damn thing that I got the sky runner to crash head first so the door in the back would stay above the water's surface, perfect for us to escape its grasp. Ness and Paula got into the ocean before me, as I strapped my bag around my shoulder, stepping out until my foot got caught on something. Looking down, I saw the suitcase my father allegedly gave me. I winced, pausing for a moment, until Ness and Paula yelled at me to get out. I growled to myself, using my foot to grab the suitcase before looking down at the water bellow me. I winced, gripping the edge of the sky runner.

_"Jeff, what's wrong?!"_ Ness said. _"It's sinking, let's get to shore, hurry!"_ Ness yelled. My heart beat fast as the rocking of the sky runner was starting to make me dizzy. I took my glasses off and slipped them into my coat pocket before plunging myself into the water.

Salty gross water filled my mouth as I tried getting my head above the water in a panic as my heart and lungs started screaming. _How to tread water_, I thought. I could only think of a book I had once read back in school, a book of how to survive these certain situations. Even though my memory was a blank at the time, I splashed and flailed about helplessly, choking for air as my head reached the surface. Though the things I wore seemed to act as weights. I panicked as I tried opening my eyes, but with little success with my near-sighted vision. It was then that I had felt two strong hands, grabbing each of my arms; I could feel Ness and Paula's presence as they tried dragging me up to shore with them. I didn't know why, but I remember holding onto that suitcase for dear life…

---

When we reached shore, I choked on the air, coughing on my knees in the sand. My body was wet and cold and _god_ this was the second time this day I couldn't breathe properly. As soon as my lungs could register that they could actually inhale then, I took in slow deep breaths, taking in the murky scent of the ocean.

"…Jeff?" Ness asked. I tried, standing up, as Ness and Paula both helped me.

"You're pale, you going to be alright?" Ness asked. I looked at him, though his face was blurry then. I nodded, digging through my pockets to find my glasses, which I thanked god for once I had found them. My vision came back to me as Ness and Paula's faces cleared up; we were standing on the beach; a bit further from the sophisticated civilization, but nonetheless I was thankful we were on land again.

"… You didn't tell us before that you couldn't swim…" Ness said. I felt as if I flushed with embarrassment, but my head swayed slightly. I shook my head; I could feel water deep down in my ear. I turned around, putting a hand to the forehead to look out into the ocean. I shivered.

"Is the sky runner totally gone then? I don't see it anywhere…" It was frightening that something we were once in was sinking underwater, even if it wasn't too far off. I sighed.

"… You didn't say anything about it before… I could have at least tried teaching you-"

"Gaah I don't like talking about that," I groaned. "Okay _fine_, I'll admit it. I never learned how to swim,_ happy_?" I said, turning away from them stubbornly. Ness and Paula paused.

"You didn't seem scared when we rode Tessie across the lake today… you said you also took a ride on her before, didn't you? I thought you'd be fine," Paula said. I frowned.

"Yeah, I didn't mind because we didn't have to swim across, we _rode_ something… big difference…" I said. Ness and Paula sighed in defeat. I frowned to myself.

"Guys, I'm-"

"Don't say the _S_ word Jeff, let's just explore Summers for a bit until we know what to do," Paula smiled, grabbing my hand. She caught me by surprise, but I let her lead me on, accepting her hand. Ness walked up besides us until I stopped the crowd once more.

"Ah wait, I'm missing something…" I said, feeling myself over, though I had my bag strapped around me. I looked back, only to find that my shoulders slouched again.

"Oh… right…" I mumbled to myself, grabbing the small suitcase before joining Ness and Paula again.

---

Summers seemed to be a less busy, richer Fourside almost; it was more like a tourist attraction more than anything. Though part of it seemed like a stinky lagoon, more for the hard working fishermen. There were many people everywhere, many that were on the beach having a good time. I wondered to myself… why did we have to come to Summers in the first place? What were we to find in a vacation hot-spot like this? Now that my body seemed back to normal, I relaxed a bit, looking out into the wide spacious ocean. The sun made the far away waves twinkle and sparkle and a few boats were out on sail. Though I preferred keeping my distance from the depths of it, I couldn't help but think that it brought wanted memories back into my mind. Some that I hadn't remembered in a long while…

"Paula look…" Ness said, stopping us into place. Paula gasped.

"It's her!" She said, balling her fists. I frowned, scanning my eyes around to find someone familiar… though I didn't see anyone I recognized.

"Who?" I asked. However, Ness responded by marching away from us to a slim blond lady in a black bikini, lying in a lounge chair, sunglasses over her eyes. She must have been tanning.

"_Hey!"_ Ness exclaimed, balling his fists up in front of the lady. I furrowed my eyebrows. Who was this lady and what happened? The woman lifted her shades and gave Ness a skeptical look. Almost as if she either saw Ness a waste of time or she didn't recognize him. Ness seemed to grit his teeth.

"_What was that all about huh? Why'd you lock us in that room back in Threed huh?"_ Ness asked in a fit of rage. Paula stood next to him silently. However the woman raised an eyebrow.

"I don't remember going to a town called Threed," She said. Ness snarled.

"Don't play dumb, you and those zombies locked us in that room under the graveyard and someone had to come from miles away to save us! _Why the hell did you do that?"_ He asked. My eyebrows perked up then. It was her? However, she didn't seem to register anything into her own account. She put her shades back down.

"Kid, I think you let the ice cream get to your head, I had no idea what you're talking about. My mind is a complete blank at the moment anyways… go away, you got the wrong gal," She said. Ness seemed really ticked as he let off another growl.

"I know it was you lady, you look exactly like her; you sound like her; _it was you!"_ He roared. It was around this time that people were starting to stare and I didn't know what to say in all this.

"Ness…" Paula said. However, the lady said nothing, almost as if everything around her was mentally gone.

"… _Fuck_ you, _bitch_," Ness swore, flipping her off as he stormed off. I sighed, tailing along behind Paula, who shrugged at me.

"Maybe she really doesn't remember… maybe she was under the influence of someone," She said. I nodded.

"It's definitely possible," I replied.

---

Honestly, about 15 minutes later, we had already wandered the city aimlessly, like lost children. We had purchased ourselves gelato from a food stand on the beach to keep us from getting deprived. As I licked my creme brulee flavored gelato, Ness was busy negotiating with a parrot, sitting alone speaking random things and mocking the passer by's.

"Crooooaaak- My mind is a complete blank crooak- Don't bother me!" The bird said. Ness frowned.

"Paula, why did you have a vision of us coming to Summers in the first place again?" Ness asked. Paula's mouth curved down.

"You aren't gonna put me on the spot, are you?" She asked. Ness seemed aggravated.

"I don't know what we're supposed to do here… there's nothing," He complained. Paula tried brainstorming.

"I'm sure the answer will come to us sooner or later…" She replied. Ness groaned.

"After all… I believe we should be gaining something good soon…" She said. I raised an eyebrow. Gain something?

"Yeah, but where do we go to gain that something…" Ness pouted. "Then even then we'll need to get somewhere…" Paula frowned.

"I'm sorry I'm not much help at the moment," She said. Ness put a hand to his forehead. I finally drifted my eyes to the ocean again, and watched how it sparkled.

"It's not your fault… maybe we should go back to Fourside and search for that sanctuary then until we can figure out what we do need to do here…" He said. She shrugged.

"Since we're here, we should investigate more," She said. Ness sighed.

"Alright… let's go," He said. I didn't register then that the two of them had already started off until Ness said my name.

"Ya coming Jeff?" Ness asked. Knocking me out of my reverie, I shook my head, taking another glance at the ocean.

"Yeah, coming," I replied.

---

After exploring the city a bit longer and after being yelled at by a man obsessed of his clean red convertible, we walked past a few places that spotted our interest.

"Stoic club…?" I said, putting a hand to my chin observing the building.

"And right next to it, a museum," Paula mentioned. "We should check both of these places out; they might be important," She said. Ness hummed.

"I remember that parrot back there saying something about artifacts from Scaraba in a museum… now that I think of it," Ness said. I frowned.

"And you didn't mention this before because…?" I replied. Ness shrugged in defense.

"I don't know… I thought the bird was speaking nonsense," He replied. Paula skipped up the steps to the Stoic club, only to read a sign plastered on the glass doors.

"Hmmm… member reservations only…" She said.

"So we can't get in…?" I asked.

"Not now… maybe we can find a way to worm around this. I bet something interesting is in here too," She said. I thought, if Paula thought something caught her eye then it was something we needed, or at least that's what it seemed like so far.

"Does it say how to make a reservation or how to become a member?" I asked. Paula shook her head no.

"Well alright then…" I said. Ness glanced his eyes over to the museum.

"So should we head into the museum then?" Ness asked.

"We might as well," Paula replied. And with that, we made our way over to the museum.

---

Admission fees were three per person as we walked into the exhibit. And as I peered my eyes around the corner, we were soon a bit astonished of the artifacts in glass boxes.

These looked like they were indeed from a desert, which in this case Scaraba. Artifacts from boxes to hand woven goods to ancient jewelry and garments, this was a museum of valuable mysterious things. Though did any of this link to us?

"Is it something in here we need?" Ness asked, as I stood in front of an old slab hung up on the wall. However, I couldn't translate the writing on it. Sitting the suitcase my father gave me onto the ground, I tried examining the piece closer, as if trying to find something out.

"Huh… I wonder why Mr. Spoon called me from Fourside… he probably just wants to brag to me about some stupid thing he discovered…" I heard a man mumble to himself as he passed me by. I quickly glanced back at him. A discovery in Fourside, I thought. How peculiar…

I looked around me to try and spot Ness and Paula, though they were out of sight. I frowned, picking the suitcase up and walking away from the slab.

Ness and Paula must have gone upstairs I thought after searching the bottom floor thoroughly. When I spotted them, they were already talking to a mysterious short foreign man. He looked to be a Scarabian himself, judging by the clothes and the cloth wrapped around his head.

"I'm sorry young child, but I cannot let anyone pass through here, it's out of my control," He told Ness, who in return groaned, disappointed.

"Hmmm alright then…" The man then winked.

"If you bring me something worth money however, then we could negotiate something," He spoke in his accent. Ness rolled his eyes.

"Yeah right," He said as they walked down towards me.

"There's nothing here, we're leaving," Ness said.

As we left the building, I couldn't help but notice a few people talking about a rich looking chubby kid being able to walk through the place. They weren't talking about who I thought they were talking about… were they?

"Wait, let me ask something first…" I said, walking up to the lady at the counter. I didn't know if they came with me all the way or not, but it didn't matter too much.

"Yes?" The lady said, looking up from her computer.

"I need to ask a couple questions," I said. The young woman smiled.

"Go right ahead hun," She smiled. The corner of my mouth curved down slightly.

"Okay… well, first I was wondering if there was anyone else in Summers that would know a bit more about Scaraba… if you could point me out to where we could get maps to the place that would be great as well," I said. The lady hummed.

"I see you're very interested… if you can't persuade any of the sailors down at the port, the cruise around Scaraba desert is pretty pricy, I don't think you kids could afford it yourselves, maybe ask your parents," She replied. I kept myself from rolling my eyes.

"Alright then… my other question is… did a blond chunky kid dressed in red and black stripes happen to pass through here?" I asked. I could hear Ness mumble the word 'what' behind me as he walked up beside me. The lady pondered with the question.

"Hmmm… possibly a few days ago… I didn't really see him though, but I heard of a boy by your description…" She said. Ness and I looked at each other.

"Did you hear what he was up to?" Ness almost demanded. The woman looked a bit taken aback; she could only shake her head.

"I honestly don't know… are you looking for him?" She asked.

"Yeah…" I replied. She looked as if she was brainstorming the ordeal. Ness and I anticipated her answer.

"I did hear rumors surrounding a kid and the Stoic club… but don't take my word, I really don't know," She replied. Our shoulders slouched in disappointment.

"Well… thank you for answering as best as you could," I said as we walked away from the counter. Ness balled up his fists.

"We have to get into that club… that way we can find out more on Scaraba… and possibly Pokey…" He mumbled.

"Agreed," I replied, as Paula took Mr. Ziggy out of her bag, in which the creature kept perfectly still.

"But how do we get in…" Paula asked. When we stood outside, I glanced around.

"Maybe we should check out the port that she spoke of… she said something about the sailors and Scaraba there too…" I said.

"Alight then… let's go see," Ness replied with a big sigh escaping his lips.

---

The further down the street of Summers we went, the deeper we emerged into the not-so-touristy-area where most of the labor and ships were. It was interesting to see these boats up close, I hadn't seen a boat in person… if ever… Passing by a hissing cat, Ness had spoken to every single passerby he came across.

"Do you know any sailors that have been to Scaraba?" He asked a man in a suit. This was his eighth attempt, but it was his lucky eighth, as the man thought over the question.

"Hmm… check with the man that owns ship number 32… I know him and his Magic-Cake making wife has been to Scaraba before… you should go check with him, I saw him out not too long ago," He told us. Ness nodded.

"Thank you," He said before scanning the ships for the number 32.

"Hmmm I've been hearing about magic cake from people everywhere we've been through the city…" Paula mentioned. "You don't think it would be important, would you?" Paula asked. Ness grunted.

"Why would cake be such a big deal besides how good it tastes? There are a lot of tourist traps here, I'm sure magic cake isn't the most amazing thing ever," He replied. As soon as we spotted a ship with the number 32 painted on its side, Ness, Paula and I started making a B line towards it.

There was but a lone gruff man, carrying a box around and onto his ship. What was in the box was beyond me, but when he came out and spotted us, he looked from me to Ness and Paula skeptically.

"Do you own ship number 32?" Ness asked the man. The man put on his hat.

"Well I be walkin' on it, aren't it?" He asked in a gruff accent. Ness didn't reply to the statement, but moreso cut to the chase.

"I was wondering if you could tell me the best way to reach Scaraba; is it across the sea?" He asked. The man took out a pipe and lit it, taking a few puffs of it.

"Ahh Scaraba I see… well there be no airports there, so the best way is to travel on her waves," He replied, referencing the sea as a living being. "You kids wanting ta cross?" We all looked at each other; Paula shook her head no, as I suddenly heard her voice ringing in my mind, "We still need should search for more clues around Summers," She said. Ness sighed.

"Yeah… later," He replied. The sailor took in a deep breath.

"Well… I would take you kids across myself… however I can't travel in my ship with ease these days…" He said. Ness looked a bit disappointed.

"How come?" He asked.

"Well… you see, there's two things. Everyone's been talkin' bout a rumored Kraken that's supposedly been haunting the seas lately… though honestly, that's really not what's stopping me from goin' out," He said. Ness hummed.

"Ya see… I've been missing my wife lately; she doesn't talk to me much no more. She's also been ignoring her magic cake business… she's the best in the whole wide world at makin' magic cake, many people come to Summers just to try it," He explained.

"Do you know where she is?" Paula asked.

"Well… she's getting herself absorbed into this weird club of hers… I think that Stoic club? I can't go after her though, they refuse me every time-"

"Do you know how we could get in there and find her for you?" Ness asked suddenly. The man hummed.

"… You could talk to some of the people round here… I think there's a feller over in that condominium that has a membership… go ask him, tell him it's urgent if you need to get in," He said.

"No, we want to find her for you," Ness said. I frowned slightly.

"Really?" I asked.

"It's all we can do for now…" Paula said.

"You kids don't have to do that…"

"No, we'd be glad to, we were thinking of checking the club out ourselves," I told him. The fisherman took in a long breath and then smiled.

"Would ya really? Oh boy, I'd love to see her again. How about this; you kids get her motivated to do her magic cake business again, and I'll give you kids a ride to Scaraba- free of charge," He smiled. We all looked at each other, until Ness smiled.

"So… who do we need to talk to again to gain access?"

---

The sailor had given us the number of the home as we stood in front. Paula rung the door bell, and soon enough someone answered it. He looked to be a Jamaican man, dressed in tropical clothes and wore his dark hair in dread locks. He smiled at the three of us.

"You three kids selling some cookies for a fundraiser?" He asked. We all looked at each other, until Paula spoke up.

"Actually… we were hoping if you could help us get into the Stoic club…" She immediately asked. The man twirled his beard in a curl with his finger.

"Hmmm… I don't know if that's possible… why do you kids want in the club? It's not that great, I was thinking of quittin' sometime this week," He said.

"Well…" Paula started as she looked at the two of us. Suddenly, she clasped her hands together.

"Please help us, our mom hasn't come home from there in three days, the house bills haven't been paid for, and it's my birthday and she promised to make me her special magic cake! Please you have to help us!" Paula begged. Ness and I exchanged quick glances until we finally played along.

"We really need her back you see…" Ness said. "The neibors have been getting really suspicious of us."

"Plus, she promised she'd be back tw-three days ago… she hasn't returned…" I said. The man pondered this over, looking at the three of us.

"Haha, that's some good begging skills you got there… even though I can see through your white lie," He laughed. All three of us frowned in defeat. _Dang it!_ The man smiled.

"Haha, fine you kids win. Obviously there's something there you really need. By any chance, were you three helping him out over there?" He asked, pointing to the sailor across the street. Ness scratched the back of his head.

"Kinda… part of our lie is true…" He said.

"His wife hasn't come back to him yet, he told us if we could get her back, he'd let us ride in his boat," I told him. The man nodded.

"Alright alright, I see… magic cake lady. Let me get the number, I'll be right back," he said, leaving the door open. It was then that Paula high-fived the both of us, though Ness's mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"What are you looking at, Ness?" I asked, as he took a step inside his house without permission. He was looking at a framed picture, right on the wall. His eyes were wide.

"… That's a picture of him and Everdred…" Ness said. The two of us took this by surprise as I looked at the framed photo. Though the picture's color was faded, Everdred was grinning, with an arm slung over the man's shoulder, both of them holding an enormous crab. It made me wonder even further… was Everdred dead or did he live? Would we ever know?

"Have you seen my brother?" He asked walking back up to us with a pass in hand. Ness spun around in surprise.

"Umm…"

"Haven't seen him in three years… I wonder what the bastard is up to these days…" He said. I frowned.

"You two didn't get along?" I asked.

"Nah, he's a great brother… he just lives life differently than I. While I ended up settling down, he ended up traveling everywhere. He told me, he said, once I gain that special treasure that was stolen from us all those years ago, I'll bring it back and we'll live a care-free life. That was his dream… though I don't know if that's the case anymore," He said. Ness frowned.

"I see..." He said. The man scratched his back.

"Well here's the pass you three. I'm giving this to you three now, I don't need it. I made reservations for you three today at anytime, go ahead and go there right now if you wish. Thanks for getting that off my hands, hope you find your gal," He said.

"No, thank you," Paula said in return as we exited his abode and walked down to the Stoic Club.

---

The suit case that my father had mysteriously given me was starting to tug on my shoulder painfully. I wanted to ask Ness and Paula if we could pause for a small break.

"Hey, can we stop for just a moment?" I asked. However, Ness was unresponsive as he dug into his pocket for his receiver phone which was ringing.

"Hello?" A small pause. Ness frowned, as he darted his eyes towards mine.

"Yeah... he's here..." He said. I cocked my head in confusion. Just who was trying to contact me now? I took the phone from him, and brought it to my ear slowly.

"Hello?" However, the other line remained silent. I paused for a bit, waiting for a response, but there was nothing.

"Hello? Who is this?" I asked again. Still... no one replied. It wasn't long after that when I said hello again, in question as I could have sworn I heard an anonymous murmur on the other line, though I couldn't decipher it one bit. The call eventually hung up as I was greeted by the empty line's buzzing ring.

"No one replied..." I said. Ness frowned.

"That's strange... I don't know, the person sounded kind of young. I don't know who it could have been..." He said. Someone young? Who was young that knew the number to the receiver phone that wanted to talk to _me?_

_"_Do you think they'd call back again?" Paula asked. I sighed, putting the phone in my coat pocket and picking up my small- but slightly heavy suit case.

"I'll keep it with me for now... just in case if they decide to call back..."

---

In all its glory, the reservation and the pass let the three of us into the club room when we entered the Stoic building. What came to my mind instantly was- what kind of club was this?

In fact, when we entered the club room, it was pretty quiet for the most part. There were many people scattered about, talking among each other. Some people would sit and drink glasses of I could have sworn was just iceless water, and other would look up and marvel at a simple boulder on display. Ness, Paula and I just stood by the wall, looking around for any clues whatsoever.

"So… what now?" Paula asked.

"I don't know… I don't know what to do. Is a show going to come on or something?" Ness asked out loud. A man, carrying glasses of water on a tray passed us by.

"You three new members I see? The show already started. Go talk to members and philosophize with others. You might find some interesting things out. Water for you two gentlemen and young lady?" He asked. All of us took a glass.

"I don't know anything about philosophy… I thought this was going to be a dumb fan club of some kind…" Ness moped. I looked around the room.

"I read a little bit on Socrates when I was in school… personally I'm really not into philosophy… it's a waste of time to me," I told them, as I knew a few people in the room gave me appalling looks. I didn't really care, honestly.

"What's Socrates?" He asked.

"Who's Socrates?" Another person said, walking up to us. "What did he do? Was Socrates a he? What did he have to do to make his name still escape our lips to this day?" He said. The three of us looked at each other.

"So all we do in this club is pretty much ask questions?" I asked. The man hummed as he took a sip of his glass.

"Is that not why you joined this club? Care to question everything that is questionable?" He asked. Paula sighed.

"I guess so," Paula said. This would be difficult.

"Okay, may I ask if there's a woman in this room that makes magic cake?" I asked. The man smirked.

"Is there only one woman?" He asked.

"Is there only one person that can make magic cake in this room?" Ness asked.

"Is this even a room, or is it just an illusion?" The man replied. I growled.

"I'm pretty sure that; in truthful reality, that we are standing in a room," I stated. The man smirked. I didn't like how he did either…

"May you put that suit case of yours up on that table?" He asked. I cocked my head, slowly putting the suit case my father gave to me on the table.

"There are many questions surrounding that suitcase," He told me. I frowned. I was sure at this point that Ness and Paula went to go investigate for the magic cake lady.

"There are many questions surrounding you," I replied. He smiled.

"Do you know what's in that suitcase young man?" I frowned to myself.

" No… and it's none of your business," I replied. The man hummed.

"Precisely, is there anything in that suit case?" This man was starting to tick me off.

"Yet again, it's none of your _business,"_ I said, claiming the suit case and walking away.

"Why do you rage away?" I heard him ask. _God I hated philosophy…_

When I found Ness and Paula once more, they were already speaking to a middle aged, slightly plump woman dressed in a tropical skirt and top and a flower decorated her wavy blond hair. She seemed to be in deep thought as she spoke to them

"You know… I think, even just by looking at both of your fresh faces I feel better and alive. I think I have discovered who I really am now. A lot of these people are pretty hard core about philosophy, but really I think for someone like me, it's just good to come where it's quiet to think things over and explore your own self being. Sometimes, it's really hard… it was hard for me at first too, sometimes at first glance you really can't stand to see the real you, it burns. But keep trying, and I promise you two, yourself is your hardest challenge, and if you can get past that, nothing can stop you," She said. So I'm guessing that you two kids are interested in philosophy," She said. Ness and Paula looked at each other. Ness winked down at Paula.

"Actually… we were hoping to try some of your magic cake," Ness said.

"Yeah, I heard that yours was the best in the world," Paula mentioned. The lady had a surprised look cross her features.

"My… magic cake? Where did you hear that?" She asked. "… You really came to this club just to try my magic cake?" She asked, smiling slightly, as if she was touched. I caught up to them as the lady spotted me.

"Yes of course! We've been hearing it all over the city, even outside of it; you have the best magic cake!" Paula smiled. The young woman smiled.

"Oh… well I haven't heard this news in such a long time. Oh… this makes me happy that someone wants to try it. Very well, I'll make you kids some! But I have to go back to my stand outside on the beach; it's where I concentrate best! I'll go there and make it right away! Come with me!" She smiled happily, escorting us outside of the god forsaken philosopher pit.

---

It figured along the way that all she could talk about was her magic cake. The only one that really responded to her was Paula. She was almost like Tracy I thought, always talking… I think I was burnt out by that time. Soon enough we got to the special stand, where she would do her magic. Why was it called magic cake in the first place? What was so _magical_ about it?

"This shouldn't take too long," She smiled, humming to herself as she messed with her appliances. In the meantime, I sighed, looking out to the sea again. Why was I looking at it so much recently?

"Well this is good!" Paula smiled. I frowned.

"Yeah but… how is this going to help us at all?" I said. Ness shrugged. Paula seemed really positive about the whole thing.

"Who knows, maybe the cake will do some sort of magic for us," Paula replied. I groaned.

"There's no such thing as _magic_ Paula, it's all a fluke," I replied. Paula frowned.

"Then call it lucky cake. Whatever, if she can get her stand going again and if she takes to her husband, then everything will work out, and we can make way to Scaraba," Ness whispered. And as soon as he said that, the woman made a sound of success. When our eyes peered over, there it was in all of its glory, in pink frosting with green and purple sprinkles and a few fruit decorating the top.

"This is a special magic cake, I put in some of the leftover ingredients I imported from Scaraba," She said slicing us each a piece.

We all received our pieces of cake, and when I looked at the white cake itself, there were small specs of god knew what, but the cake smelled fresh and delicious. Ness and Paula were already digging into their pieces. When I brought the spork to my mouth, my taste buds tingled at the buttermilk, sweet creamy sensation that was magic cake. I hadn't had actual cake… in a long time. _Yet again, if ever outside of school…_

"I'm going back to my husband now, I hope you enjoy your cake, tell me how it is!" She smiled before locking up and leaving her stand.

"It's really good so far!" Paula told her as she walked away. "Thank you so much!"

"No, thank you!" She replied, leaving us.

---

When I finished my cake, all I wanted to do was stare out into the ocean. It was getting late, though not too late I guessed, only later afternoon. Paula was already lying down on the sand nonetheless, looking up into the sky. I wasn't sure why we were just sitting here… but I was rather enjoying it.

"Hey Jeff?" Ness asked.

"Yeah?"

"You keep looking out into the ocean, is something on your mind?" He asked. I frowned, looking down.

"Not really…" I replied. It was then that a couple walked by us, I had spotted them before from afar. I was surprised when one of them said something.

"Hey, did you kids really eat some magic cake?" He asked with a hint of humor behind his voice. Ness and I looked at each other.

"Yeah… why?" Ness asked. The few of them started laughing amongst themselves.

"Hahaha, good luck," He said as they walked away. Ness and I exchanged confused glances. When Ness took another step, he wobbled.

"Hey Paula, are you ready to go?" Ness asked. However, Paula was already content, closing her eyes and swaying her head.

"Just… let me rest my eyes dad…" She said. _Was she sleeping?_ When Ness took another step, he held his forehead. What was happening?

"Ness…?" I asked. Ness groaned.

"Jeff… something isn't right…" He said, shaking before taking a nasty tumble on the ground. My eyes widened.

_"Ness!"_ I said, trying to rush over to him, only to take a nasty tumble myself, right next to him. My glasses fell off in the process. _Oh god…_

My sight was literally spinning. My heart started to race. I closed my eyes tightly, grasping what must have been the sand, but at the time it felt like watery grass. My stomach turned. My chest felt heavy. I took in slow deep breaths. Nothing helped.

_"Ness… Paula…"_ I tried mumbling before all I could do was lay there until my mind blanked out…

---

_I forgot the date,_

_It's kind of hard to remember the dates to these old worn days. I can only remember that it was a normal school day for me that morning, and I was always too grouchy to get up in the morning. Or was it more than that this time?_

_"Pokey… Pokey… Pokey… Po…oo…k..-"_

_?_

_"Pookey… Pookeeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokey__**pokeypokeypokeypok-"**_

_"__**Porky, time to wake up**__. Don't let your mother wait forever," Our old man would knock, almost violently on the door before walking down the stairs to work. I was shaken out of my dream in a cold sweat. It was the first time it ever happened…_

_I wasn't sure why, but that's how I often woke up to my days afterwards, shaking violently after hearing in my head, what seemed to be the an anonymous voice of a child, whispering to me my own name until I was woken out of my reverie. I would always look around my room, messy, covered in candy wrappers, dirty laundry, old comic books and action figures, video games that were outdated but I still played. My interests never really roamed to outdoor activity like most kids my age._

_I would slowly get out of bed, just to shake my head._

_Then once my day started, it would go on as if nothing had ever happened…_


	21. Oblivion

_(huge) A/N: __**FINALLY.**__ THANK YOU to Konoha's Kage, Red, Angel, Lea, DanMat6288 and Limelace for reviewing!_

_I finally got to update this! Finally… TAT The rest of my summer, I had no inspiration whatsoever and it was really hard for me for some reason to even think about what I even wanted to write about, it was probably my worst writers block I had ever had. Then finally, when school starts and it starts to cool down, I started having all these ideas and I suddenly start feeling inspired to write again. And despite the fact that this weekend will suck because I have to cram 3 hefty school projects into two days, I wanted and needed to get this chapter done, you guys have probably forgotten about this dusty old thing now! xO Excuses excuses blablabla...  
_

_Anyways, I don't know how many of you have been reading this fic for a year now but, yes, this fanfic is over a year old now! __ So I guess I should say, again, for all of you that's been reading this far for this long or even if you started reading this, thank you! ;A; And thank you to all of the reviewers that's helped me and gave me feedback on anything. Thank you!_

_So about this chapter, I don't want to stay up til 5 am in the morning, even though it's inevitable now that it's almost 4, but I decided to cut the Pokey diary entries out of this chapter all together, just because well… A LOT more than I planned happens in this chapter. First off… YEAH HE'S HERE. You might read this at first and then once he's introduced you'll be like, __**wtf**__ that's not right! But I'm gonna say this in advance, I'm still trying to plan his character out. I thought of this idea I wanted to play with so I could build up his character… I made it to where Jeff kind of clears up the confusion… slightly. But god… If you get lost in the beginning, I apologize, basically what happens is that Jeff has a really crappy dream. Yeah… I shouldn't spoil things in advance. My biggest warning will be towards the end of this chapter, something happens that might, and probably will shock the majority of you… maybe xD And there's a lot of swearing then… lots of f words so yeaaaah… And you guys might be like, Gah! Not again! _

_ So… yeah. Another thing, I'm not sure if Oblivion is the right title for this chapter but… hell. I kind of feel like Jeff right now… multiple thoughts in a blank mind! Fear my oxymoron! Ok, I'll shut up now and let you guys read the chapter! I need to sleep…._

_Oh quick note: Jeff, I am so sorry for all the crap I put you through in the past year. I hope you can handle another one! :]_

_I do hope you enjoy it! Hopefully there's not too many errors lying about in this! Cx_

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxX

_It was like looking back to my past. The first thing I recognized was my crib. When I looked inside, I saw everything I missed as an infant, my blanket, my music box…_

_Wait… why was I here? I looked around…_

_Yeah, this was my room at the house we used to live in. But why was I here? Was I really here? That couldn't possibly be true… something just wasn't right here…_

_I took a moment to look up and walk over to my window to look out into the dark street… and from here I could see the way to the park. Something unsettling rested in the pit of my stomach as I saw a couple of people walking towards that area. I sighed, taking myself away from the window sill to explore more of my old room. The rocking chair was in place. My old toy box was still neatly in tack with a few toys here and there. But I was more interested in the music box that sat next to my crib. I always looked at the damn thing as a child, now was my time to run my fingers across the golden rims of this mysterious wooden box. I picked it up, looking at its top. There was that picture of just the three of us at the beach, happy and sane, all framed up in a heart of gold… I was tentative at first, but I decided to turn the key… and sure enough that mysterious melody filled the room…_

"_My mom sang me this song…" I told myself, trying to remember just what exactly those lyrics where… just what were they? And why was I dying to know them? I closed my eyes…_

"… _Something about harmony…" I spoke to myself. Well there was already harmony… My eyes glanced over to the closet. I never really looked in my closet before, I thought. I put the box down and made my way until I touched the door knob. I opened the door._

_I froze… in utter shock and disbelief._

_In my closet was about a dozen copies of myself as a 4 year old, lying about like dolls, every single one was missing their arms, their legs, their ears and eyes. I shivered, taking a small step back. What? The more I looked at it, the more my head started spinning as the music from the box started becoming out of tune._

"_Jeff… my dear boy…" My eyes shot open as I spun around. As my heart almost gave way, there she was, in her white skirt and lavender lace top. My mother stood against the door frame, beautiful smile still decorating her face. And for some reason, I stood stock still, the music box still playing in the background out of tune._

"_What…" I quickly glanced back into the closet, only to see in disbelief that the closet now was ordinary… no more younger selves littering the carpet. I glanced back._

"_Mom…?" I muttered to myself… warily. She smiled._

"_You did a wonderful job honey… saving the world like you did…" My eyebrows furrowed slightly. Something was terribly wrong…_

"_Mom… where's Dad?" I asked. She cocked her head, her blond hair parting slightly in her eyes._

"_Your father? Why your father is doing some important work… it's best not to bother him right now," She spoke. I frowned, swallowing._

"…_You're not my mom…" I said. However her expression didn't even register what I had just said._

"_I'd love to hear all about your adventure," She smiled. I shook with frustration. I held my arm, hearing the song fall even more out of tune._

"_Please Mom… even if you were alive… I would know you when I see you…" I said, looking down. There was a moment of pause._

"_But Jeff… it really is me… and we can live together peacefully finally… thanks to you…" She said. I shut my eyes._

"_I might be able to save something that still has time but… I can't perform miracles," I told her, looking up to her. Her smile started to disappear from her now. She started to take a step towards me. My eyes widened._

"_Stay away!-" I ordered. It was too late however as a pair of feminine but protective arms wrapped around my shoulders to embrace me. My first instinct was to push her away… but something kept me from doing so. She spoke into the back of my ear._

"_See… when was the last time I held you like this?" She spoke. I shivered._

"_I don't know… she hasn't been able to hold onto anything for quite a while now…" I replied. Mom hummed._

"_Who is she?" She asked. I swallowed._

"_My mother…" I replied. A pause._

"_But I am your mother Jeff…" She held onto me tighter… it frightened me._

"_You aren't my mom…" My voice shook. She shushed me. I winced._

"_But of course I am… who else would I be? Your father didn't lie to you, did he? Just relax now… you've had a harsh journey…" I sighed._

"_It's not over… there's still things to be done… and there's still things that can't be done…" I replied. She signed.  
"Oh Jeff… my son… you're so hopeless-" I shivered for the last time, quickly bringing my hands to her shoulders to shove her away. I knew I regretted it as I looked back at a completely different face. My heart stammered as I stumbled backwards._

"_Jeff… why did you leave me to die?" She said. My bottom lip trembled._

_Her face… how it twisted into an uncomfortable direction. It was hard to describe how she looked then, the out of tune music box could describe it better than me. It looked as if it wanted to rip itself off of her skull all together. And suddenly the room started to spin uncomfortably. And __**god**__… everything started turning into a dark blood color… I squeezed my eyes shut, clenching my ears._

"_Jeff…" Her voice was disappearing, just like the song of sweet harmony… I looked at her again, only to be staring at something completely different._

"_Jeff… it hurts… it hurts…" Something not human... The more I looked at this thing… the more red I saw… as I looked down to my abdominal section… as if someone had ripped out my intestines. I felt lightheaded then… Looking over to my right as a shadow of what looked like my mother laughing menacingly took a hold of my arm and pulled. My eyes shot open as she literally yanked my arm right off of my body. I couldn't feel the pain much, because the utter shock I felt had taken over as another shadow of mother had ripped off my other arm. I backed away from the two shadows, both holding my arms as they smiled twistingly at me._

"_Jeff… it hurts… it hurts…" I started to run, only to be stopped by more shadows. I could barely see the inside of my house now, spotting the stairs as I rushed down what I could see, feeling blood draining from my shoulder spots, tears rushing down my face. __**His office**__ I thought… _

_As soon as I got to the basement door, I tripped, feeling my legs rip from my body as I tumbled down those dark stairs. When I landed in the basement room, I first looked down to my legs, which were gone by now and my intestines were sprawled about. I weakly looked up to my father, who was working at his lamp lit desk… he wasn't conscious of the many shadows resembling mother now approaching me, all laughing… as I could still hear that voice…_

"_**It hurts… it hurts…"**__ I looked up to dad before shutting my eyes tightly and doing my best to curl up in a ball. I shivered…_

"_Dad…"_

"_It hurts…" _

"_**Dad…**__" I started to whimper._

XxxxxxxxxXxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 21 Oblivion_

_XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxX_

Rain.

I could hear it… the smell… the taste…

As much as I wanted to keep my eyes closed, the more droplets soaked my skin and though I still wasn't fully aware at the time, it was subtle. The more I fell conscious, the more my head and heart pounded in my skull and chest. I couldn't dare open my eyes; it was so dark… I groaned, trying to recall myself as I searched for my forehead with my fingertips, only to freeze momentarily…

_… Where was I? What just happened? …_

I had finally forced my eyes open, only to be blinded by my short-sightedness. I touched my fingertips all over my face.

_Oh god…_

Not only were my glasses missing, but the fact that my eyesight slowly spun in front of me wasn't helping either. My breath finally caught up to me as I could start feeling my stomach flip around in an uncomfortable matter. Apparently, I had been lying on cement for a while… but… if I recalled right, wasn't I on the beach last time I was conscious? With…

"I… _shit, I'm lost_…" I cursed, as a clash of thunder roared in the distance. And for once, I was frightened… I couldn't see…

"Ness? _Paula…_?" I tried crying out for help but… Feeling something rise to my esophagus as my heart and breath sped up, I had soon closed my mouth out of reflex, quickly turning over to prop myself up by my hands; I couldn't hold it as I hurled onto the cement. Oh god, it smelt and tasted _awful._ Did that cake really fuck with my head all this time? I plopped back down onto my side limply after creating my pile of puke that would soon be washed away from all of this rain. I shivered. Where was everyone? What was going on? Surly I wasn't dying here… was I?

…

I wasn't sure how long I was laying there in the rain, eyes closed and actually _praying_ for something… I didn't notice until I ran a hand over my arm, that somehow my coat was gone… how would I lose that? Then I started thinking of all the other things I probably lost, including my glasses… all my tools… _that suit case…_ And no matter how hard I tried… my eyes wouldn't focus in the dark… what sucked was they were becoming heavy… _no_… not _now_, I couldn't cry _now_! I sniffled, gritting my teeth as I hid my face against the wet pavement, soaked cold hair hiding myself. _What was I to do?_

I was soon startled by the sound of a familiar ring… My eyebrows furrowed. Was I hearing the…? I patted my pants, finding my pockets until fishing out what felt like and sounded like the receiver phone… but if my coat was missing, wouldn't the phone be with it? I just thanked god that somehow, I still had it. And as I rest the ringing phone against the ear that was facing up in the air, I wasn't sure if I could collect and pronounce any coherent words. I pressed the button, swallowing before I croaked.

"He… hello?" My voice sounded nothing like myself. There was a small pause.

"H-hi… may I speak to Jeff? Is… is this the right number?" The voice said on the other line. I squinted my eyes. _Who was this? They sounded…_

"You sound familiar…" I croaked back. It was silent for a moment. "Who's this again…?"

"…This is Tony… I'm Jeff's friend. May I speak to him please?" My eyes shot open moments after the realization. I somehow let off a groan.

"What… perfect timing," I replied. Tony was silent.

_"Tony_…" I said. "How are you?" I asked.

"Jeff… is that you? You don't sound like yourself…" He said. I closed my eyes.

"Tony… no one's hurt you right…?" I asked again.

"No… course not silly goose, why?" He replied, a hint of something uncertain behind his voice. Even so, I felt a tear reach out of my eye again. Something about hearing his warm voice, the first time in weeks…

"What time is it?" I asked.

"… Around one-thirty at night, why?" He said. _That late?_

"Why ya calling me so late?" I smiled to myself. I could hear a cute groan on the other line.

"Umm… I called you twice, so I thought I'd try again… you're always up late doing something so I thought…" He said. I chuckled, feeling another tear reach its peak.

"So that was you before? How come you didn't say anything before?" I asked with a hint of humor behind my voice. I must have caught him off guard, since he seemed to stutter with his next sentence.

"I… I don't know…" He replied. I chuckled lightly.

"… I'm happy you did though…" I said, shivering from the rain and the cold. "Please… stay on the phone with me… don't leave," I said.

"Jeff… what's going on? You're kind of scaring me…" He said. I sighed. There was a moment of silence…

"Say something… I want to know what my best friend's been up to lately…" I said, shivering mid-sentence.

"Not until you tell me what's going on Jeff… You really don't sound like yourself…" He said. I frowned.

"Don't worry about me…" I said. Tony growled finally.

"Okay, something obviously is wrong… you need to tell me, maybe I could help you somehow… god Jeff, you sound like a drunk! What the hell happened?" He yakked impatiently and worryingly into the phone. I let off a shaken sigh.

"Please… for me… tell me how you're doing?" I asked weakly. "I need to hear your voice…"

_"Jeff… stop…"_ He finally said. I paused, frowning to myself.

"… I'm lost, Tony. My glasses are gone… its dark and raining… I can't see… I'm scared… but at least hearing your voice is keeping me sane right now…" I said, shivering again. I could have sworn I heard Tony gasp on the other line. I really didn't want him to know anything I was going through, that was the _last_ thing I wanted… damn it.

"Jeff… _what?_" He said.

"I'm lost," I replied.

"And you can't see a thing…?" He asked.

"Nope." There was a long pause of silence between the two of us. I started to worry.

"Tony?" I asked.

"… Do you even know the general area you're in?" He asked. Here was another question that I'm sure he would have trouble swallowing once I told him.

"I'm in Summers… and you know what's funny? You'd think someone would be bound to find me by now…" I croaked.

"I mean… were you there by yourself to begin with? Do you remember what happened?" He asked.

"Not really… I wasn't alone when I came here… ate some cake… now I'm lying on the ground puking shit," I said. Tony growled.

"Jeff! Don't lie, you got _wasted_ didn't you?" He asked in a bitter tone. My mouth curved down.

"Maybe… I didn't do it intentionally though if it's the case… just something about that cake…" I said. I could hear Tony snort on the other line.

"Pfff… you're laughing at me aren't you?" I asked. Tony snorted again.

"Cake? You got high off _cake_?" He asked. I rubbed my forehead.

"Trippy, ain't it?" I spoke ironically.

"Did a stranger give this to you or something?" He asked. Ahhh… back to the lesson from childhood; _Never take candy from strangers_. Something about that made me smile as Tony must have been laughing from my long pause.

"Pfff, you dumb fuck," Tony giggled. I snorted.

"I'm still lost though…" I said.

"Well at least you're starting to sound sane now… good thing I stayed on the phone with you, hmmm?" He asked. I used my hand to caress my face, trying to keep my smile from spreading wider.

"Got me there…" I said. Tony laughed. I tried, with all my strength, to stand again. I couldn't see far period, but at least the dizziness was starting to fade off finally. I felt around me, for any sign of my glasses.

"I… I think I'm going to try moving around now…" I told him. There was an uncomfortable tone on the other line.

"Please be careful…" He asked. "And don't make me come after you… if anything," He said. I frowned.

"Don't you dare come after me now…" I told him. Tony sighed.

"What can you see?" He said. "Or what do you think you can see?" He asked. I just stood still, scanning my cloudy eyes around for any sign. There were a few lights in the distance, and I was sure there was some sort of red vehicle nearby… though that was all I could really recall.

"Just spots of light…" I said. I was afraid to take any further steps.

"Oh my…" Tony replied. I sighed.

"I wish there was some kind of wall… if anything I could crawl on all fours like a dog," I said, immediately frowning at that new solution. I just stood there now, listening to the rain. Maybe if I listened… but there seemed to be nowhere in sight… or it seemed like that.

"I hope you find your glasses, you're pretty useless without them," Tony said.

_"Thanks…"_ I replied, putting my hand out in front of me, while my right hand kept the receiver phone plastered against my ear. I carefully took a step forward. And after about the third step, I stopped. I froze for a second.

"Jeff?" Tony asked. I was silent, carefully taking my fourth step, only to find something out of pattern.

_Pat pat pat pat…_

"Jeff you there?" Tony said again.

"Hold on Tony…" I spoke calmly as the sound became more defined. The anticipation grew inside me, as I could finally clearly hear the sound of someone's feet. _Running…_ Where was it coming from? It sounded as if it was coming from either the right or behind me… so I turned my head…

It was hard to describe how I felt at that exact moment, except surprised, as I saw a pair of eyes, locked onto me like prey as they emerged closer to me. My eyes widened, as if they were trying to see, who or what was locked onto me. And why could I see their eyes? Why did they look so determined? And they started emerging closer… I thought. And fast. I didn't think at the time, but when I could definitely tell that someone was running up to me, I started to run, blindly. But all the while making my escape, I tripped as I felt one's failed grip slip from my hand as I tumbled down onto the ground. Grasping onto the receiver phone for dear life, all I could do was quickly step right back up, reaching into my pants pocket, fishing out my knife as best as I could. I looked around me swiftly, as my dark fuzzy sight danced before me. Before I could really respond to anything, I was already faced with those eyes again. My own widened as I took a few steps back as I saw them emerging now slowly, all until one of my feet lost their grip as I started to slip back yelping.

It happened so fast- When I started to fall, it felt as if I wasn't about to hit the ground soon. It was until a strong grip quickly grabbed my shirt. The receiver phone and the knife slipped right out of my hands as my body was lifted up into the air and then catapulted into a wall. I yelped as my back shattered against the brick, as the back of my head felt as if it had cracked all together. My eyesight was worse than ever, but right then I couldn't even open them! The force was so severe… whoever pinned me to the wall did a hell of a job… I wanted to fight back… but I was just too weak. There was a long pause as the both of us could hear Tony through the phone.

"Hello? …_Hello?"_ Tony's muffled voice spoke.

"… Gotcha…" A young, gentleman's voice whispered to my face. I groaned; I felt as if a second heart grew in the back of my skull, beating… pulsing… and for some odd reason, it kept me awake. Adrenaline? I wasn't sure… I opened my eyes slowly. My sight was now impossible to make out the face that was inches away from me, but they eyes were crystal clear… one was black… the other white. There was a certain energy about it… something familiar, but vastly different. My voice was horribly strangled.

"Wha… who… do you want to rob me or something? You have the wrong guy… I have nuthin…" I croaked. The voice had a low chuckle.

"Well you wouldn't want to go wandering the streets defenseless, would you? And you're wrong… you _definitely_ have something. I know you're one of them," He spoke, letting go of my shirt as I slid down the wall. One of _them?_ One of _who?_ I growled.

"And who… the _fuck_ are you?" I managed to say, trying to keep myself supported as I looked up at the pair of dominating eyes. They narrowed tauntingly as another flash of lighting erupted.

"I'm here because this is my duty…"

"I asked _who_ you were, not why you're here…" I snarled. His white eye widened just slightly. _Something_ about that eye I thought…

"… I'm here to track down the boy named Ness…" He said. My eyebrow managed to pop up. _Ness?_ I coughed, feeling the blood trickle out of the corners of my mouth. There was tension in the air… but something else was there between us. I couldn't pin point what it was…

"Huh… I have no idea who you're talking about-"

"Oh you know…" He insisted. I forced my eyes to look up at my threat. I put a decorative smile on myself as I saw his eyes steadily fade in and out of focus. I snickered.

"Well what do you want from him? This so called… Ness?" I asked, trying to pretend I had no idea who he was. Though it had been inevitable from the start that he knew I was lying to him. The young man breathed out of his nose.

"… Something must be stopped. So, I am only doing what I can to stop it… and since you're familiar with the situation, it's a good thing I caught you… at the most precise moment." I examined him, as best as I could… though it was getting harder to see as the rain started thickening up and my head trauma grew. The young man exhaled.

"Besides… there's something strange about you…" He said. My mouth curved down.

"For some reason I feel as if I should be threatened from the look you're giving me… it proves even further that I've pinned the right person after all…" He spoke. I snorted, looking away. God I hated being reminded of that freak Invisible man and those words… The silence grew between us as I was sure proved even more that I was one of the chosen. All from what Pokey said… to Demetri… and Talah… Rahdna...? And then something funny happened… Something kicked in my system that triggered a humorous sensation. I could feel a chuckle escaping my lips as I gave him a small, but devilish smile. The man was silent. I started feeling myself laugh a little.

"What do you find so funny?" He asked. I liked how he seemed just slightly intimidated… I gradually went into true laughter, and I was sure it took him off guard.

"Where is he?" He asked in a serious tone. I sighed, and took a long shaky breath.

"First off… _who are you?_ Second off, why do I feel as if you kicked the shit out of me… and how do you know that we're saving the world?" I asked. The man was silent. But once he tried saying something else, I rose a hand to stop him.

"Don't even bother… I can only assume that you're the only other person in the entire world that knows PSI. Either way… I feel dizzy right now so… I suppose if I die here, we'll all die, right?" The pair of eyes widened slightly, as the two of us just stared at each other eye to eye.

"_**Hey!**__"_ All I could hear in that moment were the raindrops. The massive grip had loosened as the pair of eyes turned to look at the voice. I shivered.

"… _Ness_?" Was all I could mutter looking towards the cry.

"_You let him go… let him go or I'll…"_ His voice was snarling and piercing. For some reason, I thought I could see his eyes as well… that twinkle at least, I recognized in the distance. Timid, but ferocious, I wish I was more like that right now…

"_Ness…"_ I tried mumbling again. What I really wanted to do was tell him to run. _Run like hell._ The young man finally let go of me, as I could feel myself sliding down the wall to the ground.

"So… _apparently from the words my new friend has just spoken… __**you're**__ Ness,"_ He said. I tried taking this time to try standing on my feet. I could hear Ness's growl.

"Damn straight I'm Ness… what did you do to my friend?" He asked. _Damn _it, I wish I could see… I tried reaching around me… feeling for the receiver phone, the knife… anything. There was a moment of pause.

"… Jeff, take your glasses!" Ness spoke out loud as I heard something clatter near me. Did he seriously just throw my glasses at me? How'd he get them?!

"Believe me… I'm not here to kill anyone-"

"How do I know this?!" Ness asked while I was on the ground feeling for my glasses, all the while struggling with the urge to just pass out right then and there.

"… I've come from a far away land just to find you… but I'm aware that I don't feel very welcome… that's fine. Either way though, I do have to make sure… I have to make sure that you really are the chosen boy," He said before I heard the fast patter of footsteps as it sounded as if Ness and the strange figure had just made contact. I bit my lip. Were they fighting? Where did he throw my glasses? And where was…

Suddenly I felt a pair of gentle hands finally bring focus to my eyes once more. I blinked, ten times at the most. I looked up, as Paula's face became into focus once more. She seemed bitterly quiet, but she probably was better off than I was. And even while I could see her now, it was really hard for me to focus. It was obviously night time…

"Paula…?" I barely mumbled out as my head swayed back and forth. My eyes darted to behind her as I thought I saw Ness running… was it from that guy? I looked right back at Paula, who handed me a towel.

"You need to stay right here and hang on for us…" She spoke seriously as she quickly got up to dart away. I could only look blankly up on all fours. I could barely move my head… bringing my droopy eyes down to the towel…

I wasn't sure how I reacted at the time when I had seen that the towel that she handed me was already soaked in red. My arms quickly gave way as I stumbled back down onto my side. I tried breathing then… _oh god I was bleeding_… _I was suffering blood loss…_

My eyes blinked slowly as I looked to the three figures dancing around my short sightedness… the sound of the receiver phone's beeping…

---

"I think I just saw him stir…" I heard Ness's voice say. Then I heard a strange female voice say, "Don't wake him up, he needs to rest still." Either way, I wasn't sure if I was conscious or not, so when I finally did wake up, I wasn't sure if it was just moments that passed by or days.

Either way, it didn't matter all that much when I did open them, finding that my glasses were once again taken from me. My first instinct was to feel around. I instantly knew that my back felt stiff, as I couldn't move my back much. My mouth curved down as my fingertips discovered warm bed sheets and bandages across my shirtless torso. My hand trailed to my right arm, which had been wired up and bandaged. I still wasn't even aware of what the fuck was happening… was I in a hospital? If I was… how'd I get there? It was wishful thinking and I knew it was too good to be true, but for some reason, I hoped that everything leading to the hospital was a lie- some sort of long coma I was in. And boy, wouldn't it have been nice to find that the majority of my life was just some horrible nightmare and that I could safely say that mom was still alive and we were all still living in the same house. It wasn't until another minute or so when I was startled by a ripping headache. I groaned, putting my head back on the pillow as I used a hand to caress my forehead.

"He's up he's up," I heard Paula mutter to someone as a pair of hands were fiddling with something on my arm. I hissed, squinting my eyes as my headache settled to a small throbbing sensation. I tried opening my eyes again… though I would have liked to see when I did so.

"I hope that didn't kill you even further Jeff," I heard Ness say as I felt my glasses being placed in my hand. When my mind registered that I was once more holding my glasses I immediately slipped them on past my ears and blinked.

The first thing that came to my focus was the white bed sheets that covered my legs. I looked up to see Ness and Paula both looking at my poor state. Both of them surprisingly looked more disturbed and quiet rather than worried and caring. I grabbed my forehead.

"Are you awake yet?" Ness asked quietly. For some reason, I was annoyed.

"Are you expecting me to just jump _right_ out of bed with a happy grin like nothing just fucking happened?" I replied with a hoarse voice. Ness fell silent. I frowned.

"Sorry…" I said, sighing. "Yeah… I'm awake now… but- what happened?" I asked. Boy, I had many questions to ask. "I feel like shit." Ness and Paula exchanged glances with each other, almost nervously.

"Let me ask… did you guys experience anything weird after the two of you ate that… stuff?" Both of them bit their bottom lips.

"Well… kinda. But neither of us actually walked around unconsciously like you did," Ness explained. _Sleep walk?_ So I was walking around the city out of my consciousness?

"So I was walking around the city without me knowing about it? I remember… a little bit…" I started coming to my senses. "Where's my stuff?" I asked immediately.

"Your stuff is fine, we gathered everything for you," Paula said, pointing to the corner of the room. I shifted in my bed just to look in the direction Paula pointed to. And sure enough, there was my big carry bag, along with the suitcase, and ironically my coat, all covered in dirt. When I saw that the zipper on the bag was slightly open, I frowned slightly.

"Neither of you… looked through my things did you?" I asked. Ness cocked his head.

"Why would we do that?" He asked with a bit of suspicion. I gulped, thinking of that diary…

"Just nothing… I don't want my tools to get unorganized is all…" Paula giggled. I raised an eyebrow.

"It's quite funny when you care more about your stuff rather than your condition," She mentioned. I sighed, laying my head against the pillow. Ness shook his head.

"Anyways… from now on, I should keep a closer eye on you; you could have killed yourself… I mean when Paula and I found you, you were being…" Ness fell silent as the two of them exchanged glances. My eyebrows popped up.

"Being what…?" My memory started to come back to me, when I remembered speaking to Tony over the phone the first time in what felt like months but… We were interrupted by the nurse that came in.

"Hello, you have another visitor… do you want him to come in?" Ness gestured Paula to stay put and walked out of the room with an awkward look upon his face. _Another visitor?_ My eyebrows furrowed.

"Paula… what's going on?" I asked. Paula looked at me then looked away. I put a hand to my forehead.

"Who… who pinned me to a wall? Who was that?" I asked.

"You don't remember?" She asked. I shook my head. "I couldn't see…"

"Well… I don't know how you'll react, but…"

"But what?" I asked. By the time Paula said that, Ness walked back into the room quietly, followed by someone else that was dressed in strange, peculiar clothing. Ness was silent, as I looked at the older boy with caution as his somewhat cold eyes met mine. I froze momentarily.

_It was the same pair of eyes I saw… one black and the other one white. _I didn't know why but the pupil in his left white eye I was drawn to, and the small scar that trailed below character alone was unique; he looked Oriental, and it was as if he came from a different land all together. First off, most of his jet black hair was tied in a tight braid on the top of his head. He crossed his well developed muscular arms across his bold chest. He wore a dirty white shirt with a black collar shirt underneath, both in which wrapped around his waist. His baggy black pants were tied, probably to his ankles even though at the time I couldn't see his feet. And attached to his belt looked to be what seemed like a katana. Overall, he looked to be the oldest in the room… but he was still young and had a perfect complexion, despite any of the battle scars I had counted on him. My mouth curved down as I scooted back in my bed.

"Wh-what's he doing here?" I questioned. The three of them were silent.

"Jeff… we have a new party member…" My jaw dropped. But…

"So… I hope the two of you can get-"

"Get _along_? He… _he's probably the reason why I'm lying here in the first place!" _ I argued to him. Ness frowned at me. I frowned back.

"Look, either way…" I was cut off as the older boy held up a hand. I switched my sight over to him. When he spoke, he had that same voice from that night.

"I'm aware that we never truly met properly-"

_"You…"_ I hissed again, grabbing my forehead as another roaring headache taunted me. "You kicked the shit out of me…" I tried muttering, shivering as now I put both of my hands over my head.

"Jeff…" Ness said worryingly. I growled, wincing while I attempted to cover one eye.

"I remember you… pinning me to a wall… after you man hunted me down," I tried ranting.

"You don't know that, you couldn't see!" Paula argued back.

"Well I sure as hell _**felt**_ it!-"

"Jeff please _stop_," Ness ordered. I frowned at him.

"_He-"_

"You should listen to him… he's your leader." I finally looked back up at the older boy again, now standing closer to my bed side. His eyes looked down to me, and for a second I looked at them, seeing if I could find any sort of message in them. Then he did something I didn't expect him to. He smiled… but not as if he turned happy all together but rather in a darker way. I frowned.

"I hope you can forgive me from before. I just didn't know what to think when I found you… walking around in circles like you were. I'll make sure I get permission from you and Ness before I go pinning you up against another wall," He spoke with a hint of humor in his voice. It wasn't as welcoming as I hoped it would have been… was he even apologizing? I was a bit taken aback when he held out his hand.

"Please… call me Kato. I hope we can… get along for the time being," He said, chuckling. I quickly glanced at Paula and Ness before looking back at who was Kato's offered hand. My eyebrow perked up as I cocked my head. I then scoffed for some reason.

"Humph, for some reason I thought you would have a _different_ name," I told him. I studied how, ever so slightly, he seemed to twitch. I looked up at him again, and sure enough his smile was there but it was lighter. It made me wonder…

"Well… _Kato_… I don't trust you. But I guess I just have to deal with it…" I said, keeping my hand a distance away. Ness crossed his arms.

"If we had to shake his hand, you have to do the same…" Ness said. I winced, slightly rolling my eyes. I looked at him again, only to close my eyes and sigh.

_"Jeff…"_ I grumbled. And as I tried to offer a proper greeting, I ended up quickly grasping his hand harder than I wished as another headache ripped in my forehead. My hand faltered into his as I quickly grabbed my head with my other hand, hissing and squinting my eyes. I shivered, only noticing moments later that the both of us were still in contact. And before I could remove my hand, he gripped it, not forcefully but firm enough and suddenly I felt a small spark of energy, passing up my arm to my head. I flinched, as Ness and Paula reacted from the strange interaction. Soon enough, he let go, and when he did, it felt almost as if all of the pain from before had vanished. Disbelieve rushed over me as I blinked into my hand. I looked up at him, who again smiled down at me and soon enough walked away.

"I'm really thirsty right now…" Kato said. "Mmmm gonna go check out your culture's _vending machine."_ All I could do was just stare blankly at his back as he left my side of the room. Paula seemed surprised for some reason, as she thought it was a good idea to just go follow him out of the room. _That was weird…_ I thought. Ness walked up by my bedside to set my things close to me, letting off a shaky sigh.

"Here's your things… well, I think the nurse wants us out of here… you'll be spending at least another night here before we can do anything else," Ness explained. At the moment, I couldn't even look up to him properly, still taken aback from what had just happened.

"I… I feel perfectly fine. Ness…?" I asked, instead, looking down to the foot of the bed rather than Ness. On the corner of my eye, he put his hands on his hips.

"What…?" He asked. It took me a moment before I looked up at him, only to glance away. Ness sighed.

"Look… mentally, you're still not fully recovered. Just lay here, get your mind cleared up… it's confusing to us too but… hey, what can we do? Crazy stuff happens in the weirdest of moments, alright?" He said. He was right… I wasn't thinking clearly anymore, as my mind kept repeating all of the recent scenarios. I couldn't get that look on his face out of my mind… it was all eerie to me.

"… Alright," I said, placing a hand on my forehead to let my fingers run through my bangs.

"The nurse will help you with whatever you need. We're still in Summers… and Paula, Kato and I are going to have to pay extra for hotel rooms tonight… we'll come back tomorrow and see what we should do from then out." He said, glancing at me one more time, before starting to walk out the room. He then paused.

"Hey…" My expression was probably oblivious as I looked at his back.

"Hmm?"

"… This is my fault alright? It's about time I said I was sorry. I should have done something to prevent you from getting hurt… sorry." My mouth curved down.

"But Ness… I still don't even know what happened. Did he do that intentionally or…" Ness sighed.

"You… almost fell off a big bridge Jeff… Paula and I saw from the distance. If you would have fallen, you could have been killed. And when we caught up to you, you were already bleeding from something… none of us know what it was from. So I guess what I'm trying to say is… Kato actually kind of _saved_ you. Let's just leave it at that…" He spoke as she shivered, back still facing me. This was supposed to be a time where I would have been shocked, but rather than that, my eyebrows just rose, as the thought _"really?"_ ran into my head.

"Then when you did find me… what happened then?" I asked. Ness was silent, glancing over his shoulder at me before looking away in shame.

"Just… get some rest Jeff…" He spoke before nearly darting out of the room to leave my brain at a cliff hanger. So… Kato _saved_ me? Then why was he such an utter prick? I started to feel bad, as I let my head rest back onto the cushy pillows. I closed my eyes.

"…_there's someone in a faraway country, Dalaam, that's studying it as we speak…"_

Pokey was the first one to warn me about this sort of person. Kato was able to heal me with _PSI,_ I thought. And he obviously was from a country far away from here… but…

"_Please… call me Kato._"He spoke in my mind. …There was something wrong with this picture. There was only one other person I remembered that looked even vaguely similar to Kato… though I forgot his name already, Taller… Rodman? No no no… that was just stupid. But… I breathed out of my nose, putting my hand to my forehead and closed my eyes.

"But the man in that cave told us another name…" I muttered aloud. _Another_ _name that belonged to the real fourth chosen one._ So then… who was _Kato?_ Was he really one of us? There was no mistaken that he used PSI… it might have been slightly different from Ness's… but I could still feel that same rush. And he did recognize that I was a chosen one that night… why was he so rough though? Did I really nearly die? And as soon as the word _die_ rung in my head, I was reminded of the metallic astronaut on that dark fateful night. I shook my head, expecting it to swim, but it stayed perfectly intact. I started thinking of happier things… anything than _that_.

For some odd reason, the concert performed by The Runaway Five popped into my head first, and when Venus had sung her solo as well… she had a pretty voice, I admitted. My thoughts trailed after the concert when we were all in the ice cream shop. That was such a while ago… I started to think of when Venus had pulled me aside to speak to me… why'd she really do that? For some reason, I smiled. I changed _drastically _since then… in some way. For some reason, I wanted to thank her… I wondered if we would see her again, or even The Runaway Five? And why did her singing almost reminded me of…

_No… they're nothing alike_, I thought. Enough of them, I thought. I closed my eyes again, I was still rather tired.

… It was then that my eyes shot open again at another realization. _The receiver phone…_ I thought. I looked around, at first searching for the thing, until I just decided, fuck it, I'll just get up. I felt much better anyways, I didn't need to stay here! I got out of the covers and started out of the bed only to be tacked down by something. I looked over at the wires on my arm. _Damn _I was still hooked up anyways! As I started to unhook myself, a nurse had already walked in and gasped at what she saw.

"Jeff! You aren't ready to go out yet! You still need to stay in bed!" She said, putting her stuff down to walk over and tuck me back in. I growled.

"I'm perfectly fine now! I don't need to sit here!" I said. The nurse frowned at my attitude.

"Well your friends had told us to make sure you stay put until they come back to get you! Now if you need anything, you'll be pressing that button," She explained. I frowned.

"Get me a phone, and we'll settle," I told her. She cocked her head.

"Very well Jeff," She said, walking over to hand me the corded phone on the nearby table. I settled myself back into the covers as she had already dialed the number 9 for me to call whom I wished to call. The only problem then was…

"Damn it, I forgot the number?!" I muttered out loud. I bit my lip, thinking of SnowWood Boarding school. The nurse looked over to me curiously as she walked back in. She must have seen my worried expression.

"Is there something that's bothering you?" She asked. I looked up at her auburn hair before looking away with a frown.

"No, I'll be fine," I replied. She knew I was lying but she didn't seem to push it as she walked away again. I looked down at the phone.

"Tony…" I thought out loud. I just knew that he was worried about me now… though I wasn't sure if he was as worried about me as I was about him. My short term memory had finally started clicking as moment of the funny heart-warming conversation occurred. I clutched the phone in my hand.

"_I'm never going to let Pokey lay a single finger on you, Tony. I'll kill him before he even gets the chance,"_ I barely muttered to myself. But… what if he was doing something horrible just as I said that? What if I was already too late? I closed my eyes.

"_No… course not silly goose, why?"_ He repeated into my mind. I sunk into my pillows. Why then… why did I feel like just holding him and keeping him confined from the world, from any sort of harm? Why did I feel like this with anyone that I actually cared for? _Damn it,_ I hated just lying here and doing nothing, something horrible could have been happening at that very moment! I grasped the blankets. I needed to clear my mind, even if it was painfully difficult to do then. _So much to worry about_… I thought.

I sat up and looked around the room, all until my eyes again rested on my stuff. Maybe I could finally work on some of my failed inventions, I thought… though I wasn't sure if my mind was even fresh enough at the time for me to even create anything. Why did I even have to carry around a bunch of tools in the first place? They haven't served any purpose yet…

That's when I finally looked at it. The small black suitcase, still hatched up and closed, just _waiting_ for me to unlock it. My heart fluttered uncomfortably as I thought of what could have been in that box that my father had mysteriously loaned me. The curiosity took advantage of me as I then tried to reach over and grab it, only to find that my fingertips were just millimeters away from reaching its handle. I sighed, finally deciding to slightly get up, trying hard not to rip the equipment off of me to grab the thing and put it on my lap once more as I settled in my bed. And then I paused, for the longest time, imaginable. I bit my lip, releasing the hatch and opening the lid, closing my eyes while I did so.

When I opened them, I was greeted by some sort of black covering, with a piece of yellow parchment paper taped over it. I took the note into my hand and scanned its letters:

_Dear Jeff,_

_I don't know whether this is a form of apology or not, but I finally figured that it would be best to give you this, the sooner the better. You have no idea what could happen later on. If my handwriting is shaky, it's either because I'm too old, too tired or I just don't know what to write to my own son. Isn't that ironic? I'll just assume that you'll just tear this note right apart even before you get this far. Maybe in the due time, I'll try figuring out why I really am giving this to you and what I really want to say._

_Please, forgive me, son…_

_Sincerely,_

_Your dad_

I narrowed my eyes at the parchment, though I wasn't sure if I was hurt by his choice of words or not. After scanning the thing over again and looking on the back to make sure I didn't miss anything, I folded the paper up and tucked it neatly on the inside of the lid, using the tape to stick it on there. I sighed, as I slipped off the black covering, only to feel my jaw hit my lap.

Inside this little cozy suitcase rested a sort of gun. What kind of gun it was, I really wasn't sure of. But I couldn't keep my eyes off of the emerald green handles and its blue body, with red rings detailing the thing. There was an antenna attached to where the bullet hole would belong to. Was it a sort of laser gun? I ran a couple fingers across its smooth metallic skin. I wasn't sure if my nerdy senses were tingling or not, but I hadn't looked and drooled over something like this in ages… I almost forgot what it had even felt like. That reminded me of the old magazine I used to read, I thought, one on rocketry and mechanical engineering. As I tried picking the thing up, I started to hear someone walking inside the room. In a panic, I shoved the gun back in the suitcase and quickly closed the lid and hid it under my covers right as the nurse walked in again. I looked at her as she seemed to only be minding her own business as she claimed some sort of clip board. Then she walked off again, whistling. And as soon as she left the room, I bit my lip again, smiling as I looked at my suit case again. As quietly as I could, I put it on my lap again and opened it so I could marvel at my new 'love at first sight.'

I hated admitting that this gun was _very_ sexy, even if it was a gift from someone I wasn't very fond of. But I couldn't help but take the small delicate flower into my hands and admire its beauty, running my fingers along the embroidery work and the small shiny crimson cursive letters along the side that said _Hyper Beam._ All together, there was something new and refreshing, but very classic about this piece of equipment, as if it was designed in the 1950's. A small devilish smile crept up on me. _ I wonder what this baby could do?_ I thought. Hopefully it wasn't something I had to fix… no, it looked and felt like this could still do _something_… Quickly looking around me to make sure no one was around; I then ran the ridges of the gun along my cheek, cold metal clashing comfortably with warm room temperature skin. I smiled, blushing contently. _Boy it was nice to have some sort of working gun in my arsenal now!_

_"Hey Jeff, we got you a get well gift!" _

I flinched wildly as I heard Ness's voice out of the blue, quickly letting go of the gun like a hot potato, only to pick it right up again, afraid of it clanking onto the hard floor below my bed, but when I picked the gun up again, my ring finger landed in a peculiar spot.

_Zap!_

_**KAPLOOSH!**_

I let go of the trigger immediately, holding the gun differently up to my chest, eyes as big as a scared cat, looking at the huge hole I had created in the wall of my room. I could now see that it was a cloudy day in Summers as a pigeon from outside flew inside to circle around my room. The long silent pause commenced as I felt the cool breeze fill the room. I looked from the bit of smoke that wafted from the tip of my gun to where Ness stood. Ness had quite an oblivious look about him, as if he hadn't quite registered exactly what had just happened, jaw slightly open as he looked at the giant gash in the wall. Before I wanted him to notice, I slowly put the gun back in its little case and closed the hatch.

I could see the entire contrast on his face as his semi open smile turned into a deep frown, eyes wide, as he blinked.

"Ummm… wasn't there a wall here just now?" Ness asked in an awkward voice as he scratched his head. Paula nodded.

"I believe so, Ness," She replied. I couldn't see him very well, but Kato was there, as I could hear a snicker escape his lips. It was ironic as a car alarm sounded outside, a bit too late, I was sure debrie fell onto the streets; I hoped no one was hurt. Quickly the nurse came in, with a shocked expression. She gasped.

"Wow! Uhh… you get a pretty good view from here!" The nurse's voice slightly cracked as she kept staring out of the hole.

"Umm… I guess I should get someone to fix this wall now," She said, quickly darting out of the room as if she was shaken up. I gulped.

"_**JEEEEEFF!**_" Ness roared angrily. I laughed nervously.

---

It turned out that the three of them decided to let me tag along with them that day after all. I figured the reason being was that if Ness left me to be by myself any longer he was afraid I'd blow up the city in that time span. I wish I was trusted a little bit more… though Tony would have done the same thing too. The gift they got for me, Paula had picked out, which was a fuzzy light brown teddy bear with glasses and a black bowtie around its neck. Ness marched in front of the entire group angrily as we got out of the elevator to go to the front counter. I was still kind of stuck in my own little world, as I kept thinking back at that gun, which sadly Ness was holding for me so I wouldn't have to go digging for my new treasure anytime soon. The realization had started digging into my skin once I glanced over to Kato that I was causing the group too much unneeded trouble and dilemma. He seemed to take all of this very well, which made me wonder what kinds of things he had seen before in his life. When he noticed that I had kept staring at him, he looked me over before looking away with an almost cocky smile. I frowned as I looked away immediately. Was he making me feel uncomfortable on _purpose_? He must have thought that I looked silly hugging this teddy bear to myself… why'd the get me a teddy bear anyways?

"One-thousand seven-hundred and eighty-four dollars and sixty-nine cents is the total," The lady at the counter spoke. I cringed slightly, as the repair expenses for the wall must have been on the bill. Ness shook his head slightly at the lady who looked at him almost sternly. He sighed, handing her the card as she withdrew the expense. _Ouch_ I thought… I had forgotten that Ness had to pay for _everything_. Once the expense was over with, Ness glanced back at the three of us once we were out of the building and pointed at me.

"_You._ _In front._ _Now,_" He spoke sternly. My jaw dropped as I was about to argue back. _This wasn't a military camp_, I irately thought.

"Ness, I'm sure it was an accident! Jeff didn't mean to blow up part of the building," Paula spoke back. Ness frowned at her.

"_Exactly _my point! If he can't control his actions, I'm just going to have to control them myself!" He said. "Besides, Kato's right, I should be taking more action!" He explained. My jaw hit the ground, looking up at Kato, who had been amusingly looking at how I'd react. He shrugged.

"He's right you know," Kato said with a taunting smile. "You _shouldn't_ be blowing up everything you see…" I growled.

_"You…!"_ I snarled, starting to walk up to him to give him a punch of reality until Paula grabbed my shirt and my waistline.

"Jeff _please_!" Paula said. Kato snickered at me as I twirled around to Paula who now had a grumpy look on her face.

"Everyone… let's just forget what happened and _move on_," She said. "We can't be a team unless if we work together as one. And I'm sure now that Jeff learned his lesson that he won't go blowing up anything else," She spoke. Ness glared down at her slightly but sighed.

"Fine… I suppose you're right. Let's just go to the museum… hopefully I'll get over this once we get there," He grumbled as he started marching away. Paula seemingly rolled her eyes as she muttered something illegible to herself. Kato continued ahead of us looking back at us before continuing on. Paula started to walk but paused to see if I was going to tag along.

"I… didn't mean to make him _this_ mad…" I told her slightly frowning. Paula shrugged.

"He'll get over it; he's just had a really stressful day. Now let's get going, I'll stay with you the whole day so he doesn't have to worry too much," She smiled, offering her hand to me. I smiled back down at her.

"Thanks Paula," I told her, accepting it as we walked along.

About a fourth of the way there, Paula woke me out of my train of thought.

"So… do you like the teddy bear we got you?" Paula said happily. I smiled slightly, holding the fluffy thing in front of me as its beaded googley eyes stared right back at me.

"It's very cute," I chuckled. "But… why a teddy bear?" I asked. Paula shrugged.

"Why not? You don't have to keep him you know, you could easily use it as a distraction during combat," She replied. I hummed.

"True," I replied, as my eyes trailed ahead to where Ness and Kato where, who appeared to be having a conversation of their own.

"Paula…? Do you… you know…" I started.

"Kato? He's quiet, isn't he?" She said. I frowned.

"I know but…"

"Don't worry too much about him now. He'll open up to us in due time," She replied. I cocked my head.

"But…" I had to mutter. "Do you trust him?" I asked. "Something is… fishy about him."

"Like what? I don't sense any evil from him at all," She said. I raised an eyebrow.

"You don't? That's not the vibe I got from him…" I replied. "But… Ness and him seem to get along pretty well… but now I'm too paranoid to talk to Ness even about it." Paula sighed.

"We might not know much about Kato now but… you'll see, we will," She smiled. I frowned.

"Paula…? I don't think Kato is really his name either…" I barely said.

"What?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Kato isn't his name," I whispered. "Not his real name at least…" Paula looked at me.

"And how do you know this?" She asked. I let my eyes scan over his back again.

"It was before Ness and I got you back from the Monotolli building… we spoke to a seemingly super human underground when we were trying to find something important. It was the same one with the monkey that taught Ness how to teleport… he named all of us, including him… and the name he said _wasn't_ Kato," I stated. Paula formed an 'O' on her lips.

"Well then… what is his name?" She whispered back. I frowned at this. I wanted to say that I did remember but…

"I swear I remember now but… you won't even take it seriously if I tell you," I said. This actually sparked her attention even more.

"Whisper it to me," She said. I snorted.

"I don't know…"

_"Please?" _

"Oh alright alright… promise not to laugh… I might be wrong anyways." So I leaned down to her level and hovered my lips in front of her ear. I couldn't believe what I was about to say but… I didn't think my ears deceived me.

"So his name…" I snickered.

_"Whaaat?"_

_"Poo…"_

_"…What?"_

_"Poo. His name is Poo."_

_"Oh…"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Oh… no. Serious?"_

_"Serious."_

_"You're joking, right?"_

_"Nope."_

After about three more minutes of complete silence, Paula finally snapped with a snort. I replied with a snort of my own. All until another minute later we were both snickering to ourselves.

"Should I even mention it?" I asked her. She tried keeping her giggles in.

"No no… not yet. Maybe when you're on good terms with him, ask him about where he got Kato from…" She replied.

"Hmm… maybe," I said as we started to approach the museum. "But… let's keep quiet about it for now."

---

After Paula and I caught up to Ness and Kato, all four of us stood by the front counter until we had the privilege to pass. What I wanted to know was, why were we even here in the first place?

"Paula, why are we here?" I asked.

"Well, Ness and I believe that Kato can help us gain access to that certain room. We have a feeling something might be of importance, especially if it has to do with Scaraba," She replied.

"Ahh…" As we walked upstairs and to that door that said "Authorized Personnel Only," That same man was there. In fact, he almost looked as if Kato and him would have known each other from the clothes they wore… though the man looked more like he would have come from Scaraba rather than where ever Dalaam was…

"Ahh… Blablablabla," The man spoke. Kato reached into his pocket.

"Bla-blablablablabla," He replied. Ness, Paula and I all cocked our heads as the two of them spoke a different language that neither of us recognized. Kato looked serious as he showed the man what looked to be a ruby-like gem. I could see the man's eyes grow three sizes bigger with greed as he eyed the gem happily. He eventually nodded.

"Bla! Blablablabla. Yes, you four can enter and see what's past this room if you need to," He said as he accepted the gem from Kato, looking and examining the gem happily, polishing it with his shirt before he put the thing away. As we walked inside, in the middle of the room was a stand with a few slabs up for display, all of them had hieroglyphs. I could only guess that these were important with what we had to do, but… why?

"I hope you kids have a camera, or at least have some sort of skill reading ancient writing… it's the deal after all," The man spoke happily as he stuck his hand in the pocket with the ruby. Ness rubbed the back of his head.

"No… I sure as hell can't read hieroglyphs, can you Jeff?" Ness asked. I rolled my eyes.

"You know I'm not _that_ literate Ness," I replied. Ness frowned as he let off a small cough.

"That's great… I suppose Paula can't either. So… we're screwed?" Ness asked. I didn't really look at him as he asked that, but I rather looked at Kato, whom was already scanning the rocks over. He put a hand to his chin.

"Kato?" Paula asked. Kato was unresponsive as he kept muttering words to himself. Could he actually _read_ that? All three of us looked at each other curiously before sneaking up on Kato to look around his shoulders. He seemed to startle the three of us one he actually spoke out loud.

"Ness! Let's go to Scaraba, right away," He said, already walking away from the slabs. Ness seemed to be at a loss of words.

"What? What did it say?" He asked. Kato turned to him.

"The pyramid is the key… and that's where we'll find the hawk's eye… it will be very important for our journey," He said before walking away again. However Ness still stood where he was.

"But… what does all of that even mean?!" Ness asked. All the sudden something happened that none of us were prepared for as Ness started coughing immediately as if he was either suffocating or he had something stuck in his throat. Ness eventually fell to one knee as Paula and I rushed to Ness to help. Kato just stood there as Paula rubbed Ness's back as he cleared his throat as I was over there, but I started paying more attention to Kato. I slightly glared at him.

"Why are you just standing there?" I asked as Ness's coughing fits calmed down.

"I would have been of no help," He replied with no emotion. Ness gasped for air.

"I'm fine Paula… I'll be fine," he said. "Just needed to clear my throat is all…" It was right then that Kato had quickly taken a step forward, swiftly reaching down to the handle of his blade. I reacted with wide eyes as I stumbled back.

"Wha-what are you-!" I said out loud as Kato drew his blade in one single stroke, right above Ness and Paula's head. And when I looked to what he was looking at, my jaw dropped.

_How didn't I see an old mummy sneak up on us? __**Why **__was a mummy even alive and sneaking up on us?_ We all looked back in shock; I had no idea if that other man was even there to see what had just happened. The mummy instantly was cut in half through the stomach as both of his parts fell to the floor, once again lifeless as he lay there. Kato apparently had a much faster reaction time than any of us.

"Wha… why did that mummy try to attack us?!" Ness questioned. "Why do the weirdest things attack us period? It makes no sense!" Ness said, getting to his feet. Kato scanned his eyes all until he looked into another corner of the room.

"There. Another one is coming for us right now," he replied. As we all looked over to the corner of the room, the other mummy was limping towards us. The thing sent shivers down my spine.

"You don't think that something that can barely move period can harm us, right?" Ness asked.

"Well, we're not going to find that out, are we, Ness?" Paula replied as she cast both a fire and ice attack at the undead man, probably to see which would do the most damage. Ness scratched his head. I looked over to the suitcase that Ness had still held on. Maybe if he'd let me have my new gun then, then I would have been more help. But it turned out that neither Ness nor I had to do any fighting then as Paula and Kato took care of the mummy by themselves, the mummy lay lifeless on the floor once more in pieces. Paula took a closer look at the disembodied human and closed her nose.

"Ewww gross," She said. Kato put his sword away.

"To answer Ness, I'm sure it has to do with what's after us period. You should know…" He said. I tilted my head.

"That's right Ness… a good example was when we had to destroy the Mani Mani statue, that thing alone let off its own form of evil telepathy and controlled the entire city. So wouldn't you think, since Giygas is still out there somewhere… that he'd be able to command even the most innocent of objects to harm us in any way, shape or form? Kind of like how he's been controlling Pokey Minch," I explained. I didn't like the look that came over his face after I mentioned his name but Ness shook his head.

"Yeah yeah…" He said, massaging his shoulder as he rotated it.

"So… I guess we should get going then," Kato said.

"Wait though…" Ness said as Kato instantly paused. It was then that Ness was cut off from the intrusion of the man that let us in.

"So… you four get what you needed?" He asked.

"Yes, it was very helpful, thank you," Kato replied as he started walking again.

"Wait there for just a second… I want you kids to have this," He told us as he handed Kato what looked to be pictures of the hieroglyphs on the slab.

"There was a rich kid that came here by helicopter that wanted the same exact information. I don't know if you kids are linked to him in any way, but let's just say he had a lot of money," he snickered. Ness communicated through his eyes at me, " He's talking about Pokey!" They said.

"Do you know why he wanted the pictures?" Ness asked. The man shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't care; he paid a hefty amount of money so why would I care?" He snickered. Ness rolled his eyes.

"It's probably the same exact reason as I suspect… _just to piss me off_," he muttered angrily as he picked up my suit case again and stomped out of the door angrily. "Let's go." The three of us looked at each other before proceeding to follow him.

---

So now what? I had no idea if we were seriously going to cross the sea yet or not, but for some reason I kept closer to Paula than ever. But as we made our way out of the museum, there was a phone call ringing. When I looked over at the table, no one happened to be there to answer the phone. Ness paused for a moment.

"Just ignore it, Ness," Paula said. Ness scratched his head.

"I dunno what's making me want to pick it up… no one is here to pick it up anyways…" He said, walking over and immediately picking the phone up to his ear. A small pause.

"Hello?" Ness said. Another pause.

"Who is this?" Ness asked. I could hear another voice over the line that said, 'Who am I? '

"No… _fantastic_ you say… like how?" Ness asked. And about seven seconds later Ness's entire expression turned to interest. All the sudden the phone started beeping. Ness hummed as he put the phone down.

"What was that about?" Paula asked. Ness stood there for a moment, in deep thought as he put a hand to his chin staring off into the carpet.

"Jeff… remember when you found me that one time after Paula's kidnapping incident?" Ness asked. I scratched my head.

"You mean after you had to go to the hospital? Yeah… why?" I asked, momentarily forgetting that day. Ness put a fist to his hand.

"We need to go back to Fourside… there's something I need there," he said with confidence. My expression lit up again.

"Ohh… isn't that where…" I stopped in mid sentence.

"Yeah, it is. I totally forgot about it, but thanks to that call I remembered… I want to go to the museum in Fourside now… I want to see what this guy found that's so _fantastic_. What do you say about this, Kato?" Ness asked as he turned to him. Kato was looking in a different direction arms crossed. He closed his eyes.

"Your wish is always my command Ness," he replied. I raised an eyebrow at that. _Strange…_ I thought. Ness laughed slightly.

"You don't have to be so strict about it you know… I care for all of you as equals… not like you're my servants or anything." However Kato remained silent, as he looked over to Ness.

"Very well. Let us go then," he said, as he awaited for Ness to lead the way. As we walked out again, Ness let off a couple more coughs. _Was it just me or was his voice sounding more hoarse than usual?_

And as soon as we were sure that no one was in sight, all of us held hands as we went running off into space…

---

The first thing we did in Fourside was actually we went to the nearest hotel. It was around five-thirty pm when we arrived there.

"I need to reserve a room with two king size beds," Ness asked.

"Name please?"

"Ness…" He said. The both of us prepared for some sort of setback, prepared by Pokey himself but we actually heard good news, followed by some bad.

"Ness, you seem to be on the trustworthy list that's been signature by the man Monotolli himself, so you get your rooms tonight free of charge," He said. Ness looked as if a huge amount of weight just lifted right from his shoulders.

"However… we only have two more rooms left for vacancy. And I'm sad to say that only one of them has even one king sized mattress…" He said. Ness pondered this.

"And what does the other one have?" He asked.

"Only a twin… and we're out of the portable mattresses too, most of them are off being cleaned and examined at the moment. We could call the other hotels for you but, you probably won't have much luck right now, there's a big fair event happening in the city right now so most of the hotels are jam-packed with reservations. But if you absolutely need these rooms by all means you kids look small enough to fit these beds comfortably anyways." He explained. Ness frowned at this.

"Alright… we'll take both of those rooms," he said. The man smiled.

"I'm sorry about the inconvenience… at least both of them have their own bathrooms, right?" He said. Ness smiled.

"Yes, thank you," he said, receiving the keys from the man as the four of us found our two rooms.

---

It turned out that the two rooms were on the opposite sides of the hotel from each other. All of us found the room with the king sized mattress first.

"This is hard…" Ness explained. Kato sighed.

"I can take the twin sized room, seeing that the three of you aren't comfortable with my presence yet," Kato explained. Ness frowned at him.

"Nonsense, no one is sleeping on their own tonight… everyone needs to at least be in pairs… if I lost any of you, I'll be ripping my hair out just trying to find you, and I wouldn't forgive myself," Ness replied. Kato shrugged.

"It's fine with me… as long as no one gets sick, that's all I ask. I don't want to catch any foreign diseases," He explained. The three of us looked at each other before Ness cleared his throat.

"I know Jeff probably wouldn't feel comfortable in the same room with you yet so… why don't you and Paula share a room? Neither of us care which room, right?" Ness looked at everyone. None of us said a word. Ness sighed.

"I guess we'll just have to figure that out later…" Ness sighed, handing Paula the key for the king size bedroom while he held onto the one for the twin. Paula left some of her things behind in the room as we went off to get to the twin sized bedroom.

When we walked in, it was much smaller than the other room. All of us looked at the room depressingly. Either two people were going to both squish onto the twin or someone was going to sleep on the floor… how comfortable, I thought. I decided to put my stuff down in this room, since it was just way too much to lug around the city and I was getting sick of carrying it all. However, Ness still held onto my suitcase, I really hoped he'd let go. Ness sighed, after clearing his throat once more.

"Let's go to the museum…" He said.

---

Kato had been admiring the city more than all of us, I wondered if he'd even been to a city as big as Fourside before? The teleporting went smoother than planned and all of us had made it to the gates of the Fourside Museum in under ten minutes after passing the Topolla Theater, where Venus would apparently be performing in the next hour. The rest of the way there, I daydreamed once more of their performances, along with my mother's own singing. We walked in as Ness paid the entrance fee and entered the door.

I was instantly drawn to the giant display of the entire skeleton structure of a Tyrannosaurus Rex; it looked ferocious! But of course, that couldn't be the extraordinary thing that Ness had spoken of, right? We ended up talking to everyone, as Ness kept asking for someone by the name of Mr. Spoon. Eventually we made it to the back of the room where a man was standing by another secret sturdy door.

"Are you Mr. Spoon?" Ness asked patiently. The man looked as if he needed a shave. He tugged at the collar of his shirt.

"Yes? Is there something you have questions about?" He asked. Ness smiled.

"Yes there is… we've overheard someone talking about you and a certain extraordinary discovery that you found and we were wondering… how could we gain access to this extraordinary discovery?" Ness asked. The man's mouth curved.

"Damn that Mr. Fork, spilling all of my secrets…" Ness nodded. Mr. Spoon looked painfully uncomfortable, scanning all of us with his eyes.

"You're a peculiar group of kids, aren't you?" He asked. There was a moment of pause. He let off a strangled sigh.

"Alright… alright. You can gain access to the discovery that I found, on two conditions!" He asked. Ness smiled.

"Name 'em." The man tugged at his shirt again nervously.

"One… you never bring this up with anyone ever again."

"And two?"

"… Bring me Venus's autograph. I don't care what she writes it on either… it can be on a piece of dirty toilet paper for all I care. _Damn_ though, she's a fine, _hot_ young woman… I'll do anything you want if you hook me up with her… but an autograph is fine with me for now." Ness looked at us for any form of approval as all of us cept Kato nodded, but he was positive that Kato didn't even care.

"It's a deal then," he smiled.

---

"Wow, I wonder how Venus will react once she sees the three of us again, along with someone new in our party!" Paula smiled. I looked back at Kato, who was scanning the city and minding his own business.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty excited to see her performance, she's an excellent singer," Ness replied. I kept my eyes back on Kato as a few young women passed by all looking at Kato and giggling as they passed by. And once Kato rested his black and white eyes on mine, I quickly looked back forward again timidly.

"It's been quite a while since then… I hope she even recognizes us," Ness explained.

"What, of course she will! Right, Jeff?" Paula asked. Somehow it took me a moment for me to reply.

"Oh- yeah, she'll recognize us," I said, scratching my head as I tried looking back at Kato. I decided not to even dare… It didn't even matter anyways, we were almost there.

"I wonder where the Runaway Five is right now-" Suddenly out of the blue, Ness started hacking and coughing violently, dropping the suit case instantly to cover his mouth.

_"Ness!"_ Paula and I exclaimed as Ness leaned an arm against the nearest brick wall to support himself as he kept coughing and gasping for air.

"Ness, you've been coughing a lot recently are you sure you're alright for anything?" I asked. It took a couple more minutes until Ness was hitting his chest with a fist.

"No no, I'm fine… my throat is just kind of scratchy today that's all!" Ness replied. His eyes were watery and his face was pink from all the forced coughs. A couple more breaths and he was ready to take off again as he bent down to pick up the suit case. I halted him by putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Ness, I'm fine now so, you don't have to keep lugging that around if you don't want to," I told him. Ness blinked at me twice before looking to Paula for any kind of permission. Paula didn't seem to protest so he nodded.

"Fine, just don't go blowing anything up," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"I _won't_ trust me," I said right before the four of us entered the theater_. Kato didn't have any sort of reaction to any of Ness's coughing lately_… I thought.

---

There was quite a line I thought for Venus's performance. I was silent for the most part as Ness and Paula talked amongst themselves. I kept wanting to observe Kato, but I was afraid of what would happen if I did do. Instead, right before we actually got inside, there were a couple of mysteriously shady people that passed by, all of them dressed in the color blue looking at us and snickering before they descended into the alley that was behind the Topolla theater. I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure they're up to no good," Kato said out of the blue. I looked up to him, who didn't even move a muscle. I nodded as we walked into the theater.

---

After we received our tickets and got into the theater, none of us decided to take any seats as we stood near the back of the audience, considering most of them were taken up and we would have had to split up. God though this was a pretty decent crowd! The stage was lit in a light blue light and a lone grand piano sparkled in the background.

"What… what is this?" Kato asked us. All three of us looked at each other.

"You haven't been to a concert before?" Paula asked. Kato shook his head lightly no. Ness scratched his head.

"It's an event were… everyone gathers to see someone or a group perform a certain talent… for tonight, this lady named Venus is singing. Kato nodded slightly as he stood right back up, almost like a body guard. The three of us looked at each other before we all could hear a man's wailing voice in the microphone, all until we realized it after playing a couple of notes on the piano, that it was a part of the act all along.

"Oh baby baby _**baaaaabyyy!!**_ Don't make me _hurt_ so _bad!!_ These guys are all stone cold gone for you… _**OW!**_ You cute, _sexy_ thing, you! Baby, _sing_ to me! Sing to me only! _**Baby!!**_ _**Venus!!**_ Just sing and I can _die _a happy man! _Baby!_ I wanna hold you _tight!_ Venus! Baby! *sob* _**Venus!**_" The man started playing the piano as a certain part of the stage lit up, and surely, there stood Venus, slowly backing up towards the stage, ready to sing. What was strange though, was that, the light source didn't seem to stay still, and I heard a creaking noise above somewhere. My eyes went from Venus to the light source above the stage, and sure enough the bar that supported the light was swaying and tilting. _That worried me slightly_, I thought, but I decided not to pay it much mind.

Venus's voice was beautiful like it was before at the first concert I saw her in. Her black dress sparkled in the light, as so did her wavy blond hair as she flipped it towards the audience. I didn't know why but… I was starting to admire her beauty, but… not like how most boys my age would. It kind of made me uncomfortable. _Why_ _was she starting to remind me of…_

It was around this time that my eyes searched for a man who was starting to make obnoxious whistles and cries to the stage. And when I found the slightly obese man, he had an overly excited, but sad and depressed look upon his face. My eyes narrowed at him as he started to get out of his seat, rubbing his hands together as he stuck out a tongue at the corner of his mouth.

_That man in the crowd is acting a little strange…_ I thought to myself. He had a possessive look upon his face as he slowly started making his way closer to the stage. As I tried examining his dark form, the light from the stage lit him up slightly and from that I could disturbingly see the small bulge that was formed below where his belt would be.

_"I don't like how he's acting…"_ I said to myself. I started merging closer to the stage. Again, I heard the creaking from the light above. I looked up again. And as Venus turned to the audience and when I was sure she saw that mysterious man, she started looking down at him while she sang, all until he paced away somewhere I couldn't tell, but I could just tell that he wanted up on that stage. Something uncomfortable settled in my stomach, and after I heard the light creak again, even louder than before, I started to pace up towards the stage myself. _You'd think they'd examine things better…_

_"Jeff what are you doing?!"_ Ness exclaimed as Paula did the same. I paused momentarily, as I kept looking up at the light. Suddenly, creepy man past right by me, looking at me menacingly with a hand stuck inside of his jacket as he started darting up onto the stage, laughing like a maniac. My eyes widened as he finally was literally on the stage with Venus, who looked over to him with a shocked expression as she kept trying to keep up with the recording of the song, since the piano solo was done with. Ness caught up to me.

"This doesn't look good…" He said. I kept looking up at the light, which started to sway a little bit more. Somehow, when I looked at Venus once she stopped singing, my eyes widened in horror as her expression was a bit oblivious of what was happening. I started to rush up towards the stage.

_**"Jeff!"**_Ness exclaimed after me as I rushed up to the stage madly.

"Hehehe… hello _Venus_… you _precious_ thing you," He spoke happily as he tried cornering Venus up on stage. _Shitshitshit,_ I thought. _Don't back up in that direction!_ Once I had finally gotten up quickly on the stage, everything happened so swiftly all at once.

The security guards were already on the case for keeping the creepy man his distance as two of them rushed up and grabbed the man forcefully as the man started to protest. Venus looked at the bunch, putting a hand to her lips.

"Oh… oh my," She spoke as the man started shouting.

"No! _Stop! Let me see her!_ _**Let me see my Venus!"**_ He shouted as he violently waved around what looked like a gun. My mind went into a state of shock as the gun fired twice. The crowd started to gasp and scream.

_"Jeff what are you doing, get down from there!!"_ Paula screamed. As I knew that they hadn't gotten the gun under control and as I saw Venus's state of shock, I started to dart towards her.

"_**JEFF!"**_

"_**LET ME SEE HER!"**_

Now it was almost like slow motion as another gun fire rung out and this time, I just knew that without looking up that the bullet had hit the support beam for the lights. I saw her form my name on her lips.

"Jeff…?" She mumbled.

_"Jeff…"_ My mom spoke in my mind.

I lunged for her, grabbing her waste as I literally tackled her out of the way, _just_ in time before the bar that supported the light came tumbling down in a series of sparks and fireworks. The crowd started screaming and ran outside for safety, I was sure. All I could hear then were a series of screaming voices, and I didn't know why, but I clung to Venus for dear life as we just lied there together.

"Jeff?" Venus's oblivious voice mumbled. My eyes opened widely as I finally let go in a hurry, looking at her face. She didn't seem to register much as she started slowly getting up by propping her upper body with her hands and looked back at the bar that had fallen onto the stage.

"Oh… Jeff… Jeff what happened?" She said, trying to stand up. I still sat down, looking back at what I had just done. _Holy shit_… I thought.

"I… I don't… don't know," I replied, body too shaken up to make any sense whatsoever. As she knelt there, looking at the bar and the man that was being carried off, she put her hands to her chest.

"Don't tell me that… that bar with the light… would've…" She looked over at me as the realization hit her. All I could do was nod. I couldn't say anything. I started breathing heavily then.

_I just saved someone's life…_ I thought. _Something I should have done, eleven __**fucking**__ years ago…_

_"__**JEFF YOU'RE FUCKING INSANE YOU KNOW THAT?! FUCKING… FUCKING**__**INSANE!**__"_ Ness screamed at me from below before he started going into his coughing fits again. I shivered slightly as me and Venus just stared at each other for another good three minutes.

_"Venus, are you alright?_ You could have been _killed_, oh my god…" A few of the crew members including the manager started saying as they got onto the stage. The few managers wrapped Venus in a blanket for some strange reason and started taking her back stage. All I could do then was watch her walking away, Venus looking back at me with this strange expression…

---

"_**Jeff what… just WHAT?!"**_ Ness started questioning as he paced around me. All of us waited in the lobby, for any sign to get Venus's autograph. Paula and Kato were silent about this. I was even surprised at the time that Kato didn't do a single thing… he could see a couple of mummies creep up on me but he couldn't see a maniac emerge to the stage, I thought. However, there were too many things in my head for me to comprehend anything, so much that my mind was blank half of the time.

"I don't… _get _how you do this sometimes! You visit my childhood friend without my permission, you crash your fathers invention, you blast a _**fucking**_ hole in the hospital walls and now… now you… you do something that _**no one**_ saw coming… how… _**how-"**_ It was finally my time to snap as I shook my fists.

"_**I don't know, alright Ness?! I don't know how this shit keeps happening and your yelling isn't helping me figure any of this out!"**_ I roared at him. Ness paused in mid stride, as he gave me the most ridiculous expression I had ever seen.

_"Hey fellas, calm down there or else we'll kick all of you out!"_ Someone yelled at us.

_"Please you two… don't start fighting again,"_ Paula said with a cracked voice. Kato looked at us silently. I finally growled.

"_Say something. __**What the hell do you think of all this?!"**_ I asked him irately. It took him a moment before he replied.

"I don't have anything of importance to say about anything," He replied calmly. I growled, covering my forehead with my hand as I stood there.

"I… I need air. _So excuse me_," I ranted, picking up my suitcase before I stormed outside. No one had bothered to follow me at that time; they probably figured that I needed to breathe.

I actually stood down one of the narrow alleyways next to where backstage door was. I could hear and see the police and investigation crew show up to the scenes. God _damn_ it, I didn't want to get affiliated with them! But… what the hell just happened?

I… For some reason, my mind played like a broken record, from that creepy man to my mother's face, to me tackling Venus out of the way… I shook my head, running my fingers through my hair. I squinted my eyes.

_"Fuck!"_ I swore to myself. And it was about this time when, on the corner of my eye, I saw the three of them emerge but stop and look at me. I huffed.

"I still have nothing to say… _alright?"_ I told them. Ness checked his watch.

"There's no way we'll get to give that man his autograph now… the museum is definitely closing soon," He said.

"Then we'll just have to do it tomorrow, alright? I can't do anything else today…" I replied. Ness glared at me.

"I knew we should have waited til tomorrow… just knew it…" He said, crossing his arms before he started to cough again. I wanted to roll my eyes at him but kept myself from doing so for some reason. Paula rubbed Ness's back.

"So… you have no idea why you did what you just did?" Kato finally said. I looked up at him. He raised an eyebrow at him. I looked away.

"No… I mean I don't know. I just knew something bad was going to happen…" I replied, resting my forehead against the brick wall. It was right then that someone opened the door, and sure enough it was the manager that we had loaned the diamond to.

"You kids again… you put up quite a show up there… mainly you, young man," She said, pointing to me. I sighed at her statement. She hummed.

"Anyways… Venus wants to see you kids. Go on in there, and talk to her, and don't let anyone see you," She told us. The three of them actually went on in before I had the energy to move from my one position.

"You going to be alright, young man?" The lady asked me. I nodded.

"Yes… I'm _fine_," I said, stomping in through the door.

---

As I entered the room with Ness Venus and the others, Venus was already talking to them about something that my mind couldn't register at the moment. When Venus finally rested her eyes on me, I quickly looked away, cheeks heating up slightly.

"Anyways… you kids needed my help? You did a hell of a job helping me… and you were all so sweet from when I met you along with the Runaway Five… what do you kids need? I'll do anything..." I was silent through this entire moment, I just wanted everyone to get this over with so I could lie down… anywhere and empty my head from any train of thought… just like I was _supposed_ to do all day…

"We… we need your autograph actually," Paula explained. I looked over to Ness, who seemed too ticked off to do anything. She formed an 'O' on her lips as she looked through all of her drawers until she found a sharpie pen.

"Do you have anything I can write it on? I'm sorry if my-my handwriting is shaky…" She explained.

"It's perfectly fine Venus… we know what just happened was shocking for you," Paula explained as the both of them glanced at me. I could feel myself sliding away and out of that room. Venus sighed as she grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be a banana peel, as she signed it.

"Umm… Venus?" Ness asked. Venus looked up.

"What's up hon?" She asked.

"Umm… we kind of need it on something that can last through the night," He said. Venus took a moment to register this.

"Oh yeah… yes, let me see if I have a napkin anywhere…" She said as she vaguely looked around, until she spotted an old coffee mug that had been sitting on a napkin since the morning. When she took the napkin, there was already a brown coffee mug ring stained on it.

"That's perfectly fine," Ness said. Venus nodded as she started signing the thing away. After putting the cap back on, she then offered a shaky hand to Ness who claimed the napkin and looked at it.

"Thank you Venus… and I'm sorry for all of this… I hope you get a good night sleep," Ness said as he tried brushing by me angrily until Venus made him stop.

"Wait…" She said. Ness stood still before he turned around. She looked as if she wanted to cry, but she did a good job keeping it in for some strange reason.

"I… I barely know you children. But… I owe you my life… especially you, Jeff…" She spoke to me. I looked at her again. She looked as if she wanted to cry, but she smiled. I had no idea what expression I wanted to give her… I breathed in.

"Good luck… with all you do. It's a big and scary world out there…" She spoke, trying to keep her tears in. However, all of us were silent.

"Good bye Venus… we all love you, we really do," Paula told her. And with that, she nodded at us to go, starting with Kato closest to the door, then Ness, and then Paula and finally me, who almost darted out of there timidly, forgetting all about my black suitcase.

---

Once we were almost down the block, I realized something. I patted myself before scanning everyone. I growled.

_"Shit…_ I left my suit case, be right back," I said as I darted back to the building. I first checked the lobby of the theater, and I even checked the counter to see if anyone had picked up. I finally thought of the last possible place I could have left it… because I knew Ness had carried it out to the lobby after the incident. The three of them were probably waiting for me impatiently by now. My heart started hammering for some reason as I cursed under my breath, making my way outside and around to Venus's back stage room. Once I got there, I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Venus said in an awkward voice. I paused for a moment.

"It's me Jeff… can I come in? I think I left something in your room…" I replied. Soon enough, the door opened and I was greeted by Venus's teary eyed face, streaks of mascara trailing down her cheeks.

"Jeff… oh…" She said. I was silent.

"Come… come on in," She said, walking in to wipe her eyes on her tissue. When I spotted my suit case, I was about to grab it and leave as soon as possible, but as I reached down to get it, I was startled by Venus's voice once more.

"Why-why did you save me?" Venus asked. I paused. I was unresponsive.

"Why… _why did you even bother?" _She asked in a more enraged voice. My eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Maybe… maybe that was what I _wanted _you know? Maybe I wanted that light to hit me and kill me… you could have wasted that hero's energy on someone that might have needed it… there's nothing left for me anyways…" She ranted. _Was she saying that…?_

"I hate my life… this Lady Venus act I'm put out to be is a lie… I'm a _joke..._" She ranted again. "That's exactly what my father would tell me at least…" I couldn't help but feel the slightest of sympathy as she shook her head in rage.

_"I should have died_," She spoke with only her lips. I frowned.

"No… you're wrong," I told her. Venus's eyes opened again when I said that. My sigh was uncomfortable.

"Look… I didn't save you because I thought it was the right thing to do… but rather because I wanted to… call that selfish if you want. But… I can compare with you. Half of my life I just wanted to end it right then and there… I came close to it too, mentally at least. Every single day… I still blame myself for the death of someone I loved… I couldn't stand to see someone else I cared for die before my eyes… I would have risked my life for that reason alone…" I looked up at her nervously as she looked back at me with her mouth slightly open. I took in a deep breath.

"Besides… that day in the ice cream shop, you taught me something… something that may have saved my own life. You taught me how to open up… to open up my feelings to others and get as much help as I needed… and… if you never spoke to me that night, I would have never bonded with Ness… or Paula… possibly even Kato, even if I've only known him for several hours… you gave me any sort of hope for me to even keep living period. And… I still have dreams you know? And you even told me… so I guess I should tell you; don't let your past get in your way with your dreams…" I sighed, shaking my head. "I know, I didn't make any sort of sense there…" I said, looking back at her. She finally stood up, but all she could do was stare at me. I didn't know why but I felt uncomfortable then, and I was sure that Ness and the others wondered where the hell I was. I slowly reached down for my suit case.

"I'll get out of your hair now…" I said, opening the door again, all until I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I shivered for some reason, as I turned around to meet Venus face to face. She finally smiled down at me.

"Do… _I_ _remind you of your mother… don't I?"_ She asked. My eyes widened slightly as I exhaled a shaky breath. I was silent, looking away with a warm but sad face. And suddenly, I was startled as a pair of delicate feminine hands cupped my jaw, to turn my face towards hers_. Oh god… what was she doing?_ What was she thinking as she stared right into my eyes with as blue of eyes as Paula's? What did she think as I saw her nose inch closer to mine? _**What was she doing?!**_

My mind was suddenly blank… as warm, soft cherry red lips touched my own in a soft, but engaging kiss that lasted for probably only a few seconds but felt like minutes to me. I was unresponsive as my eyes were wide in shock… she _kissed_ me. A woman… that was at least ten years older than me… had just _kissed_ me. _I had just shared my first kiss with a legal adult._ _Wasn't that__** illegal?**_ My eyes were wide, and my face had burned up as I looked at the young woman whom was only a hair uglier than my own mom…

"I… have no words left. I don't care if you sue me… if you throw me in jail… for what I have just done…" She spoke to me with no breath. "Now… _now you can go if you wish,"_ She said, turning away from me, as I could see a tear roll down her cheek. I had nothing else to say, she just sucked all of them out of me. I closed my eyes tightly as I quickly grabbed my suitcase and darted out of that room…

… Only to be greeted by a silent and stock still Ness who happened to be waiting for me down the alley. My eyes widened in horror back at Ness, who seemed to have almost the same exact expression as me. He… _what was he doing here?_ He… he didn't just _see_ that… _did he_? _**Oh my god…**_

The door had closed during that time as neither of us could move. I tried… all I could to say something… _anything._ But all I could do was stutter breathlessly.

"_N-Ness…"_ I said. Ness seemed to gulp a few moments later awkwardly as he started to face away from me.

_"Let's go…"_


	22. The Sound Stone

_A/N: Thanks to DanMat6288, Shiro and Fubuki, Red, Konoha's Kage, Lea, and Dream for reviewing chapter 21!_

_To be honest, this is the first time I actually had to think, hard as I was writing. It was weird because while I had plans for this chapter, they kept changing because I wanted something I could be decently proud of. I was so excited about how this chapter was originally going to end, but as I wrote it, I was having a hard time focusing on how important it had to be in order to get to that special point. (My ideas didn't seem to sum up to that at first) I kinda felt like I was losing my touch in the process of this chapter. So I kept looking though it, thinking what could I add to make this chapter so much better that I could at least be proud enough to put it up? I learned, again, that I can't really seem to force my dull ideas to work, if one doesn't seem to work well enough, I have to change it. That's exactly what happened with this chapter. Another problem I was having was that, I knew how things would go emotionally through this part in the story but what and how was my big problem. Like originally I wanted someone to get stuck, but how? I wanted to get this chapter done before I have to go back to my last stretch of school work (I get out Dec. 9__th__ wooooot!) So as an end result, this chapter doesn't end the way I had originally planned it to. But in actuality, I'm extremely pleased as to how this one turned out. I can't say exactly why, but I guess in that sense alone, this chapter means a lot to me. I hope I didn't screw anything up DX_

_Also, I want to thank/apologize to a good friend and reviewer of mine, Dreaminginferno for putting up with my writers block. I kept texting her every time I had different ideas, but I couldn't tell her any of them… ;A; And just thanks for being a trooper and encouraging me to keep writing especially and helping me think things through. xD_

_Anyways, enjoy this new chapter hopefully x) _

XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxX

_Sometime, 199X,_

_ Tuesdays were my days at the park. Mother would always bring something to read while you were by her side, Picky; and while I loved going to the park to wander around aimlessly while daydreaming, something peculiar started happening there._

_ I didn't know when I started paying attention to this, but for the past few weeks, I started to spot a lonely man, sitting in the same spot under the same tree on a hill top overlooking not only the park but the school that was nearby as well. At first glance, he looked homeless, which could have been possible at the time. His shoulder length dark-dark hair draping lazily around his face made him look like a lonelier figure. And you could see the faint facial hair growing back on his chin and his lips as he would deepen his frown. _

_All he would do was stare out into the distance, aimlessly and depressed. No one even spoke to him. _

_I've seen a dog visit him once, and at first I thought he ignored the dog, but as it nosed his hand, he was a bit startled out of his reverie. I was astounded how long it took him to register the dog before his eyes, as he would slowly bring his hand to the dogs head and stroke behind its ears. I had been passing along at the time as I saw this._

_ And for some reason, when his eyes seemed to meet mine, I became afraid. Afraid of something I couldn't understand. And as I looked away, I ran away from him._

_ Though nonetheless, when I looked back to him in the distance, he was back to being alone again, staring off like he always did._

_ For some reason, I wanted to say hi. So I decided, the next Tuesday, I would. And so I did._

_ Heart stammering slightly, I was intimidated by his presence as I walked up to him on that hill top. Up close, he really did look weak and frail. His black jacket was old, dirty and reeked of a stale stench. His red and black stripped hole-infested shirt didn't help lighten up his appearance either. But despite all that, he seemed decently young, at least sometime in his early thirties…_

_ At first he didn't even notice me. I had to say hi, louder than I had wanted to. And with that he finally looked towards me._

_ Right then I felt afraid again… why did I feel this way? Picky, that's something I'm still trying to figure out as I write this before heading off by myself, I hope I find out soon._

_ Anyways, he was slightly cross eyed when he looked at me with those dark gray eyes of his. You could just see the bags under them sinking to the ground. Before I might have wanted, he looked away again. He said absolutely nothing._

_ God, there's so much I need to tell you about this particular man… I feel as if I'll meet him again someday. I hope you never do. Shit, dad is calling me, so I have to close this one up. My handwriting is becoming shakier._

_ "… reminds me of something I think I'm happy to forget…" I heard his voice mumble behind me as I walked away._

_ I feel as if this very man is hunting me down._

_ I seriously think this man is out to kill me._

_ …He's out to kill me._

XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 22 The Sound Stone_

XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxX

Neither of us spoke a word as we continued our way through down town Fourside. I had tagged along behind Ness, who had looked seemingly lost and possibly shattered. And instead of feeling either mad or apathetic towards him, I was rather panicked, in an apologetic way. I wanted to tell him I was sorry.

As we stood on a block corner, waiting for the walk signal to appear, I glanced over to Ness, whom was looking slightly away from me into the distance, as he almost swayed back and forth. I was starting to become suspicious. Ever since I fell unconscious and that Kato had started traveling with us, he's been acting... stressed? Tired? A cough escaped his lips. I frowned.

_Nonetheless his voice was starting to sound more and more hoarse than usual._

I didn't know how to approach him then, so I kept myself away and distant. Maybe he'd get over it? My mind wandered back to that very awkward moment.

_Why did she kiss me anyways?_ Did she think that it would make her feel better? Or did she do it for a reason I didn't understand? I didn't know, but the feeling of her cherry chap stick pressured against my own chipped lips lingered. I wasn't sure if I liked the feeling of it or not; the after taste had finally started to fade but not in my memories. My stomach was flopping uncomfortably as we started walking across the street. As I spotted the wave of people that approached us, I didn't know why, but I braced myself as we descended through the crowd, as I felt someone roughly bump shoulders with me. My glasses fell crooked as I stumbled slightly, almost tripping over the curb. Ness looked back at me, eyes dull and uncaring as to how I felt. I didn't know why but I took the moment to look back at him.

I think neither of us cared how the passerby's looked at us like we were crazy as we stared at each other. Ness's frown eventually deepened, as he brought a hand to his nose before turning his back to continue on. I cocked my head at him. Now he was just plain depressed… I thought.

After I truly thought that we were going to be silent with each other for the next week, he actually croaked something quietly.

"I'm sorry…" My eyebrow perked up.

"What?" Ness was silent after that.

"… It hurts to speak right now…" He managed to say. I finally walked up beside him, glancing over, even though he turned his head away from me again. Why was he doing that still?

"Maybe you need more rest than all of us… take it easy for tonight, ok?" I asked. Ness was unresponsive. I sighed through my nose. "If I may ask… where's Paula and…" Ness coughed.

"They told me they'd meet us at the hotel," He replied. My mouth curved down. If he let Kato and Paula off by themselves… then did that mean…?

"Do you trust him? You don't have to speak it, a head nod is good enough," I told him. Ness took a moment before he nodded yes. I kinda frowned at this. He couldn't possibly trust him _more _than he trusted me, right?

"… I don't hate you, Jeff, ok? Just… never mind," He started. My mouth curved down.

"Never mind?" I said.

"Yeah."

…

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked. Ness seemed to flinch slightly.

"I don't know…" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Ness, it's a simple yes or no question, do you trust me or do you not?" I asked, aware that my voice was starting to rise. Ness bit his lip. I think from that gesture, I kind of startled him. So I backed off slightly.

"I remember what you said on the bus a while back that you weren't sure. But it's been like what? It was a while back," I said. However, Ness looked down and frowned. I sucked my lips in.

"You _saw_, didn't you?"

"…Yeah…" I sighed.

"Great. _Just_ great. Just forget what you saw, and we'll continue on, won't we?" I told him, starting to take the lead. However, about five more steps I looked back, to find Ness standing still, just staring at me.

_Staring back with this pained look on his face._ Something tugged at my heart strings. I cocked my head.

"Ness, I really don't feel like fighting. It wasn't intentional, just know that, ok?" I spoke softer than usual. However, Ness's lips parted slightly.

"That's all you can tell me?" Ness asked. I wanted to growl in frustration.

"Ness… Remember when I told you something that _no one_ else knows before? _What_ _else could you possibly want to hear from me?"_ I said, emphasizing my point. Ness again said nothing, as he kept staring at me, eyes open but almost dazed as his body would slowly sway back and forth. It started to make me wonder though… what _exactly_ did he want to hear from me? To be honest, I wasn't sure if this conversation was going to go into any logical sense whatsoever. But as soon as I saw a motorcycle speeding up in the distance behind Ness, it soon didn't matter as it honked its horn, speeding up on the side walk. Apparently Ness's senses weren't clicking in. My eyes widened as the motor cycle approached us quickly. There was only one thing that went through my mind right then.

I think the realization finally clicked into Ness as I practically lunged myself towards him, quickly grabbing his entire torso with my arms to fling ourselves against the wall, just in time, getting out of the motorcycle's path. It zoomed by, the passenger laughing hysterically. _Asshole._

Ness exhaled as we were in an awkward pause; arm slung across Ness's chest like a seat belt. Random people looking at us from afar. It had finally dawned on me that I had practically pinned Ness under part of my body weight against the brick wall. When Ness finally looked up at me with slightly flushed cheeks, I backed away. But Ness still stayed in the same position. His eyes still looked confused.

"Jeff? … What just happened? Did we… did you-"

"Look Ness, I don't know. We probably weren't going to get hit… but I couldn't not… _you know! It's the same thing with Venus!"_ I told him, before turning around to put a hand on my forehead.

"Hey, are you two alright?" Someone asked us.

"Yeah… we're fine, thanks" Ness said before coughing. I flinched slightly.

"Ness, let's go to the hotel right away. Get a hold of Paula and Kato so you can go to bed and rest. Your coughing is worrying me…" I told him. Ness finally frowned.

"Oh… now you're worried," Ness said to me in an awkward tone. I furrowed my eyebrows. By this time, the guy had left.

"I've _been_ worried about you since you've been coughing like crazy. You weren't like this before Kato joined-"

"Stop blaming him! You don't get along with new people period! Just give him a chance!" Ness said.

"Why should I?!" I asked. Ness looked enraged.

"Because I told you to!" Ness replied. "Besides… uhhh… why did you…" Ness cleared his throat. What?

"Ness… you're making no sense right now. Let's just go to the hotel and go get some rest," I said. "I don't want you getting sick." Ness's cheeks were blown out as if he wanted to protest but he didn't seem to object otherwise.

After the next block, Ness cocked his head at me.

"… Did you save me for the same reason that you saved Venus?" He asked in an awkward voice. I frowned.

"What?" I asked. "What do you mean by that? You could have easily dodged that." Ness bit his lip.

"… I don't know…" I frowned at this.

"Well Ness, I don't know either. All I know was that I just didn't want either of you hurt, nonetheless killed. Isn't that a good enough response?"

"I… guess so." I shook my head.

We were deadly silent on the way back after that.

---

As we entered the hotel, Paula and Kato were both casually hanging out in the lobby. And as soon as Paula spotted the two of us, she got up to greet us.

"Hey there you two are… what happened? You two seem quiet…" She said. Neither of us really said anything as we both glanced opposite ways. Kato walked up to us but he said nothing. My eyes slightly looked over to Ness, whom was rubbing his nose.

"Oh nothing, we were just… just got caught up in the evening crowd of traffic, that's all…" Ness said as if everything was jolly well. I sighed. There was a small pause until Paula lightly clapped her hands together.

"Alright. So who's sleeping with who tonight?" Paula asked. It was right then that everyone glanced at each other awkwardly. _Oh god_ I thought… I looked up to Kato, whom had his eyes closed. I bit my lip as Ness sighed.

"Yeah… Paula? Why don't you and Jeff share the king sized bedroom tonight? Kato and I will be fine… we'll figure something out," Ness said, rubbing the back of his neck, closing his eyes as he brought his arm to caress his nose again. Paula cocked her head.

"You sure that's ok Ness?" She asked. Ness seemed to turn a cold shoulder against me, but shivered in the process.

"Yeah, positive. I'm exhausted so let's go to bed now…" He said; signaling Kato to go with him to their room as he took the key from Paula and handed her the king sized key. Ness turned to look at me and then looked away quickly.

"Good night Jeff…" He said before coughing as he and Kato walked away, Kato looking at me with a strange expression. Both Paula and I watched them ascend up the stairs.

"Jeff, what happened?" Paula asked. I bit my lip, as I scratched the back of my neck. I sighed.

"I don't know Paula… _I really don't know."_

---

Everything awkward had gone up to a whole different level, I thought as we finally settled into our rooms. Paula and I entered the king sized bedroom while Ness and Kato were somehow going to figure something out about their twin sized room. Somehow the more I thought of that, the more guilty I felt as I set my things down on my side of the bed. I looked towards the bathroom, in which had been occupied by Paula. I sighed.

_At least it's just the two of us, which meant there wouldn't be much drama_, I thought. I started to think about Ness again.

_He's really acting strange right now_… I thought. Not overly upset or moody but just… _weird_. He didn't seem like himself, I thought, thinking back to what had just happened. I felt my stomach flop uncomfortably.

… Was it really my fault? I was starting to wonder how and if he was affected by that kiss… I was glad we didn't go in depth in that subject but…

"_Did you save me for the same reason that you saved Venus?"_ What did he mean by that? I barely saved him; it was easily dodge-able. He wouldn't' have made sure I would have pushed him out of the way on purpose… _would he?_ But as soon as I thought of that, Paula exited out of the bathroom, dressed in her pink plaid pajamas holding Mr. Ziggy in her arms.

"Do you need to take a bath too, Jeff?" Paula asked. I shook my head, going through my stuff.

"Naahh, take your time Paula," I replied. Paula nodded as she put Mr. Ziggy on the floor before going back into the bathroom. I looked over to Mr. Ziggy, whom was looking at me almost cross eyed. I raised an eyebrow at him as he cocked his head towards me… how did he do that?

As soon as I spotted my small suitcase, I almost felt something lift off my shoulders. And as much as I wanted to smile, I didn't, but I grabbed the suitcase and rubbed my fingers along its black leathery skin. I wondered if I was going to be using this baby anytime soon? I set the suitcase down as I did the same with my bag, all before some of the contents started falling out of it. I rolled my eyes, bringing my hands down to put my things back, before my hand reached a certain small paper booklet… I bit my lip when I realized what it was.

I opened the booklet, and surely I was looking at fine cursive handwriting with small equations and hand drawn diagrams scribbled on each of the pages, the top entitled "Sky Walker Project." I had forgotten that I had picked up da-… I mean Dr. Andonut's notes as well…

_I could have all the answers to everything right here as well_, I thought. For some reason, I felt like hiding my bag behind my suitcase, fearing that someone might dig into my bag to find the other small handwritten booklet I had been carrying around without permission. _God_ _I felt so sneaky…_

I sat on the edge of our bed, quickly forgetting about what happened, just flipping through the pages for a sign… _anything_ that could have been a clue… _a sign._

…

For some reason, when the bathroom door opened, I jumped suddenly, quickly putting the small booklet under my pillow. When I looked up again, Paula was giving me this blank stare, as if she suspected something.

"… Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yes-yes, I'm fine! It's just that was quick! Ehheh… I'm not doing anything… weird, _haha-ha…"_ I said, rubbing the back of my neck, gulping. Paula took a moment to study me. Shit_, I forgot she could read my mind,_ I thought. But instead she just smiled and giggled.

"You're really funny when you freak out… don't do it so much, Ness will get over whatever happened," She smiled. "Let's just get some sleep now." I frowned slightly as she picked up Mr. Ziggy and crawled in right beside me. Paula yawned before pulling up the covers to her chin. But before she turned the light out, she looked up at me, noticing my awkward state.

"Jeff, what's wrong? Aren't you happy you aren't sleeping in the hospital tonight? And if what happened at the theater is bothering you too much… it's ok, you did what you had to do. I can't judge you for that," She told me. I looked over to her and smiled little, but then I sighed, bringing my hands together on my lap as I pulled my covers up.

"Besides, don't you want to brush your teeth… or anything?" She asked. I hummed.

"Not really…" I replied.

"…Eww." I took my glasses off and set them on my night stand before rubbing my eyes. And then for a moment, there was complete silence between the two of us.

"So what happened?" She asked. I sighed.

"Yeah… it really freaked me out. That whole Venus deal… she made it worse when I went back to get my stuff. Look… I don't really want to talk about what happened, but let's just say she did something I didn't expect her to…" Paula cocked her head.

"What could she have done? Kiss you?" She said. And as she said that, my head lowered.

"Oh… oh wow, she kissed you?" She asked. I was unresponsive for a moment but I finally nodded. Paula formed a "wow" on her lips.

"I have a feeling though… she did it in a way that wasn't supposed to be sexually advantaging to you," She said. I frowned.

"What do you know about… you're like what? Eight-nine years old? How do you know so much?" I asked her. Paula had an apathetic look on her.

"Uhhh… I had a good pre-school teacher? I don't know," She said. I snorted.

"Well… _I think Ness saw… it…"_ I drew my knees to my chest at the uncomfortable confession. "I didn't know he returned to find me…" I muttered. Paula seemed to observe me slightly.

"Yeah, he told us he wanted to make sure you didn't get into any trouble, so he went to go find you, even though you had just left," She replied. I frowned, resting my chin on my knees.

"Well… I really wish he hadn't come looking for me… I really didn't need him seeing that… _just wrecks our friendship even more…"_ I barely mumbled the last part of that sentence, feeling my insides constricting. After a minute of pause, Paula had entered an untouched topic. She almost had a devilish smile upon her cheery face.

"Jeff, you've been hiding this for a long time now, you know that right?" She asked. My eyebrows perked up immediately.

"Wh-what?" I asked. _She didn't seriously think…_ Paula giggled. I could feel my cheeks redden.

"What? I have no idea what you mean," I grumbled, crossing my arms. She giggled harder then. My jaw dropped slightly. She sighed.

"Cummon Jeff, just admit it already, you can't hide it from me anyways. Besides, I really think it's cute," She said. My face must have turned magenta then.

"That I- _WHAT?_ That I…" My lip twitched slightly. I could tell, even without my glasses on that she narrowed her eyes at me and smiled. _Oh god…_

"So when did you start thinking of him like this anyways?" She finally said. I sighed uncomfortably.

_"God damn it…"_ I muttered grumpily, flushing like crazy into my knees. Paula hummed.

"If it makes you uncomfortable… we can drop it if you want-" I shook my head, closing my eyes.

"No… s'fine," I sighed. "I'm just… I shouldn't be shocked that you saw right through me, you always do…" I said, leaning back on the bed rest.

"Yeah… you should be careful, just in case if I ever learn all of your _secrets,_" She added. My heart skipped a beat right then. I drew my knees to my chest again, resting my chin on them and closing my eyes.

"So…? When did you start thinking of Ness like this?" She asked. I grumbled.

_"Ahhh…_ I don't know Paula… Maybe when I told him something personal to me… he didn't freak out like I thought he would…" I replied becoming quieter at the tail end of that sentence.

"What did he do?" She asked. Did she really have to ask for all the details?

"I don't know… he hugged me. Made me feel pathetic like I do now, but it made me feel much better. And I don't know… all of this happened while you were with Monotoli, you know that right?" I asked. Paula nodded smiling. I knew she wanted to hear more. I sighed.

"This was when I had to take Ness to the hospital you know? When he got really hurt from that… thing. And after I told him about… something and he hugged me, I got him flowers. Gahh I don't know Paula… I gave him the flowers and…"

"Aaand?" I hid my apple red cheeks into my knees.

_"Cute… Ness was cute when he smiled, __**okay**__…?"_ I mumbled angrily. Paula let off an "aww" which embarrassed me further.

"Well… it doesn't really matter; I keep screwing our friendship up…" I said, scratching my head. By the way… you don't think it's strange?" I asked.

"Strange? You love who you love," She smiled. I bit my lip.

"I can't say it's love Paula… it's just a stupid little crush I have… it'll fade off eventually," I replied. "Besides, I feel it fading already… which is a good thing…" Paula hummed at me again. She almost sounded disappointed.

"I dunno, you seem really protective of him at times," She said. I frowned.

"Like when?" I asked. Paula stroked Mr. Ziggy's head.

"Well especially when we were at that hostel, remember? You wouldn't let Demetri get away with what he was doing… and I heard from Ness you went to Pokey to question him about his motives. I dunno if it's just me, but it seems like you _really_ don't want anyone else with dirty fingers touching Ness in any way…" I buried my face again.

"That was before you got kidnapped… and after. But I was being protective of you too Paula, they had their eyes on both of you…" I said. She smiled. I sighed.

"So... will you ever ask him out or anything?" She asked. My eyebrow shot up.

"Now what makes you think that I _even_ have the option and time for _that?"_ I asked.

"Haha… why so _negative?_ What kind of signs have you gotten from him? How far have you gotten?" She asked. I pondered this for a good minute.

"Well… I've definitely made him to where he can't speak proper English to me anymore… is that a bad thing?" I asked. Paula laughed.

"Probably not. Ness doesn't know what he's talking about sixty percent of the time," She replied. I couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"Haha…" The next thing that came to my mind was the moment in his bedroom. And as soon as the memory of that particular moment started making my lips tingle, I shivered slightly. Paula paid very close attention to this.

"Is it something worth telling?" She asked in a very interested voice. I bit my lip.

"Uhhhh…"

_"Saaay it_," She said. I shivered again.

"I… I think we might have almost… _you know,"_ I told her in a quiet voice. Paula gasped slightly. I instantly glanced away from her.

_"Really?"_ Paula said smiling. "When did this happen?" She asked suddenly interested. I kept myself from growling in frustration.

"When we were at his house… the first night we were there… sometime before dinner," I replied. Paula bit her lip.

"You know, it was written all over your face that you had something on Ness when we were in Tracy's room… no wonder Ness was so quiet afterwards…" She said in a more serious tone. I hummed.

"I don't think he trusts me Paula… I can't get him to trust me enough, and it's really bothering me… and I mean as a friend, or even just an entity," I said. Paula cocked her head.

"Do you trust him going out by himself too?" She asked. I kind of opened my eyes more at this. I finally sighed.

"Not really… there's too many people and things out to get him… I don't like seeing people I care about getting hurt." Mr. Ziggy by this time had crawled up to me to plant his nose on my feet.

"Besides, he's always so moody… I can only imagine what he's going through… even though I'm not entirely sure…" I said. "But I mean, he has two loving parent's still waiting for him…" It was around this time that Mr. Ziggy had jumped down off the bed. Paula formed sort of a crooked smile.

"He's a pouty one, isn't he?" She said.

"Well yeah… I mean, I understand that he doesn't want to do any of this and just go home and be babied by his mother all the time… but I dunno. I would have thought that these… sanctuaries would make him a stronger person. They only seem to be making him weaker… at least to me…" I said. Paula looked as if she wanted to protest to this, but she held it back and found a calmer approach.

"I think what's happening with him is that, each step closer we make, the more it dawns on him that he's doing this for… pretty much everything. And we're practically doing the same thing. Have you even thought of that yet? Just look around you," She told me. And so I did.

"This entire world… maybe the state of being will be destroyed, who knows. We don't even know… all we know is that something will happen and we're the only ones that can stop it so far…" She said. I sighed.

"Why do we know so little? We need to know more about what we're facing… all I know so far is that there a thing called Giygas and that puke-face Pokey is working for him basically…" I replied. I closed my eyes.

"I wonder if Ness knows more than us… or more than he think he knows…?" I asked.

"He probably does to some extent. We can't let Ness give up on himself though, we need to push forward, and we can't leave anyone behind, especially Ness," Paula said. I frowned to myself.

"Paula… why do I keep wrecking our friendship? It's hard enough for me to communicate to him… I don't even know if he even wants me around anymore…" I said.

"What? Of course he still wants you around! Jeff, Ness cares for you a lot. More than you think actually," She said. I frowned.

"Really? Why don't I believe you?" I asked. She hummed.

"When you were unconscious the previous night, Ness was pretty scared... he kept saying sorry Jeff," She said. I raised my head.

"He… kept saying sorry? Sorry for what?" I asked.

"Believe it or not, I kind of hear the exact same stuff from Ness… especially through telepathy. You both worry about if the other hates you two or not," She laughed. I raised an eyebrow. It was right then that we both heard a big belated sneeze coming from my side of the bed. The both of us jumped slightly, as I peered over my bed to look down.

Sure enough, Mr. Ziggy was nosing around in my stuff. I put my glasses on to clear up my vision and as I could see again, the little Mr. Saturn looked up to me in a guilty fashion. I eyed my bag as my eyebrows perked up slightly. Poking out of my bag was Ness's yo-yo, which I had held onto… to fix. Why exactly did I want to do that again? I guess it was obvious why now… I reached down and picked it up, as one of its sides popped off and fell to the ground. And before I could reach it, Paula had picked it up herself.

"Is this yours?" Paula asked me. I bit my lip as I received the yo-yo from her. When my eyes averted from hers towards the ground she read my mind.

"It's _Ness's_ yo-yo, isn't it?" She tried not giggling. I blew out my cheeks.

"Well… it was broken on his floor! I thought maybe… he'd like it fixed or something. It's not like a, _'Hey Ness, I fixed your yo-yo, let's go make-out or something'_ kind of thing… I just… _you know!"_ I felt my cheeks go hot again. Paula laughed, I bet at me. I crossed my arms and pouted.

"Why is that funny to you? Both you and Ness laugh whenever I get pouty you know that?" I asked. She snorted, all until she gasped.

_"Fix it now!_ Right _now,_ I'll help you!" She said, jumping to conclusions as she picked up my bag for me. I was so happy nothing fell out as she dug out my small red tool box and plopped it on our bed. My eyebrow perked up.

"Why _now?" _I asked.

"Why _not_ now?" She exclaimed with a big grin on her face. "Besides… I'm sure _Ness_ wouldn't mind if you fixed it now," She said in a suggestive tone. _God_ I must have looked like a tomato to her by now.

"_Shut uuup…"_ I growled, hiding my face under my palms as she laughed at me. I snorted.

"Hmmm fine… but if he hates me more for it, I'm blaming you," I told her. She cocked her head.

"Why would he hate you for fixing something of his?" She asked. I sighed.

"It wouldn't be about the fixing… it would be the fact that I took one of his belongings without his permission…" She rolled her eyes.

"_Trust_ me Jeff… he'll appreciate this, I promise." I scratched my head.

"Humph… okay, I guess we should get this done before it's too late… we need to sleep too," I said.

Paula had the biggest, cheesiest grin I had ever seen on her face that night…

---

About an hour later, Paula, rather than help me really was fiddling with Mr. Ziggy's bow as she lied on her stomach at the foot of the bed. I was still silently fiddling with the damn thing, even though I had finally figured out how to fix it.

"So Jeff? What do you think of Kato so far?" She asked me.

"Hmmm… don't trust him, don't think I will anytime soon," I replied simply. Paula 'awwed.'

"I'm sure he isn't _that_ bad… he's probably just not your kind of person I guess," She replied. "But he's here to help us, remember that."

"Hmph, he should tell us that his real name is _Poo_ rather than _Kato,"_ I said, still fiddling with my tools and the yo-yo.

"Maybe he's shy of his real name? Besides… isn't that the name of a prince?" She asked. I snorted.

"Poo? A _prince_? Please… who would name a _prince_ Poo?" I asked. Paula shook her head.

"Well, maybe in his culture it means something more royal…" Both of us were silent for a moment, thinking about the possibilities, all until Paula slightly snickered.

"See how silly it is? Besides… even if it did mean something better, why would he want us to call himself Kato instead?" I asked.

"Hmm… I don't know, maybe since he's not in charge of us or anything, he wants us to call himself a name that has less status than his real name. Some languages are like that kinda…" I rolled my eyes.

"I dunno… I think this Kato guy is all an act… I'm just waiting for him to snap someday… besides, he's the one that helped me get into the hospital faster-"

"Yes, but he's also the one that prevented you from _drowning,"_ She replied. I pondered this slightly.

_"… If you had fallen, you could have been killed…"_ Ness spoke into my mind. It finally clicked to my brain… the feeling of water surrounding and consuming me. I shivered violently.

"Oh god, I nearly forgot they build bridges to cross _deep water..."_ I shivered, grabbing my shoulders. Paula frowned slightly.

"Don't go hating him just yet… be thankful he was there. Even if he's kind of quiet right now, he did save you," She said. I shook my head, picking back up where I left off.

"Hey Paula?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"… Why do you think Kato has one black eye and one white eye? It's been bugging me ever since I saw him that night…" I said, thinking back to the white eye and the black pupil, almost like the eye of an eagle.

"Hmmm when I look into that left eye, I see energy and strength… I don't think he was born like Ness and I but rather… he forced the concept of PSI into his body instead… that's what I see," She replied.

"Huh… so you're saying that he was capable of _learning_ PSI? I thought you had to be born with it… makes me wonder if I should have learned it myself," I said, as I finally fastened the other half of the yo-yo.

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I bet you can do things that none of us can do, Jeff. Like… I couldn't fix that yo-yo, I would have ended up buying myself a new one," She said. I frowned.

"I know technically he would have been better off getting another one but… I think this one means something personal to him. So it's the least I can do for being a jerk to him for today…" I said. Paula smiled at me.

"That's so sweet of you Jeff. You might act like a stubborn bull at times, but you're really soft underneath those glasses of yours," She smiled. I gulped slightly. My voice hitched slightly.

"Here… try seeing how this works," I told her, handing her the yo-yo. Paula glanced over the red yo-yo before giving it a fling. And to both of our amazement, the yo-yo flung right back up when she told it to. Good as new, I thought.

"Jeff, you did a good job with this, it feels smooth…" She almost said in awe. "One more question… how long would this have originally taken you to fix?" I bit my lip just then, feeling another flush.

"… Probably half of the time I spent…" I replied. Paula smiled at me as she wound the yo-yo back up.

"He'll love this. Make sure to tell him you're sorry, and I'm sure he'll understand," She smiled at me. My face lightened up after she said that, as I received the yo-yo from her.

"Thanks…" I said.

"Now, let's go to sleep," She said, crawling into bed. I yawned.

"Yeah… good idea. Night."

"Night."

---

_ I had been sitting on the couch, pen and notebook in hand as mom and dad came in, arms holding paper bags of groceries. My dad had been grinning all day that day. I always liked it when he was happy. It meant that everyone else was happy and that it would be a good day. It was around four thirty at the time, and my dad and mom started fixing up the house and preparing food. Was there a party? I finally walked into the kitchen, only until dad shoved right by me._

_ "Porky, go get dressed into something nicer up there, don't expect to be a part of this party looking like that," Dad grunted. At this time, you were in bed sound asleep Picky, and you were for most of the night. _

"_Your father scored a huge promotion at his work today, so he's invited all of his workmates- or should I say employees for the big celebration. So go dress into something nice honey, go, go, now! I'm sure you and our next door neighbor's son and you can get along and play in your room for the time being," She told me. Did she mean our new ones? So I was sent upstairs and I got into something that looked 'nice.' It was really uncomfortable though, my 'nicer' clothes were becoming too tight for me. _

_At that point, I wanted to stay in my room, away from everything. You could tell me if I was afraid or not. But sooner or later, it really didn't matter._

"_Porky, get down here! Come meet your next door neighbors!" Dad yelled up the stairs. I shivered slightly. Eventually figuring that it was a better idea to do what I was told, I opened the door to go downstairs._

_ Immediately I noticed how crowded it had gotten, people a good 2-3 feet higher than me, eating, drinking, talking amongst themselves. I hoped this was the only night; I started to feel unwelcome in the depths of my own house._

_ "He's just a little shy is all," Mom said. When I finally saw that our next door neighbors were here, along with Ness and his younger sister Tracy, I became shy._

_ "There, there he is!" My mom said, as she practically dragged me up to bat. I almost immediately looked away from the four of them._

_ "This is my son Pokey, he's a very sweet boy! I'm sure the three of you will get along just perfectly!" Mom said, very mom like. I looked at both of their parents. They looked very typical, but in a good way. Their father bent down to Ness's level._

_ "Can you say hi, Ness? He's your next door neighbor, maybe the two of you can play," He cooed in Ness's ear. Their mother did the same with Tracy._

_ "But dad, I've met Pokey," He replied._

_ "Oh I see. Well that's good then, maybe the two of you can get to know each other more tonight," He smiled, standing up as he ruffled Ness's black hair. Ness's face scrunched up as his father moved on. However, when Tracy went to follow their mom, so did Ness. _

_ When figuring out that my mom had left herself, I looked around me at the multiple people in the living room._

_ I went back up to my room as soon as I could._

---

As I started to stir from my sleep, the first thing my mind could register were familiar voices, talking in the room, while I could hear the patter of footsteps from higher and lower levels of the hotel. As soon as I could feel something stirring under the covers next to my face, I could feel something smooth and relatively warm touch my nose. In response, I wrinkled mine, grumbling something illegible about Mr. Ziggy, who I was sure had wanted to sneeze on me any moment. I blindly reached over to the night stand next to me to find my glasses. Lying on my back, I applied them onto my face, blinking a couple times, only to yelp in surprise.

Kato, whom was standing right beside my bed, was staring right down at me, with his usual blank but kind of cold stare. A small shiver ran up my spine.

"Wh-_what the hell?!"_ Was all my mind could make my mouth speak. It took a moment, but Kato eventually formed a small smile on his lips, as he chuckled.

"Well good morning to you too," He said in a happy tone. And right before I could say anything, Mr. Ziggy's nose had started to practically rub against my cheek. I gasped slightly.

"Why are you here?" I asked. Kato took one last look at me in the eye, flashing me a small, almost taunting smile.

"To wake you up, _why else?"_ He said before turning away. "Ness, Paula, he's awoken! Might I add, in a _very_ pleasant mood," He snickered slightly. I rolled my eyes, as I kept staring at the ceiling, all until a certain small creature crawled onto my chest and soon enough I was looking up to a giant nose. My eyes widened.

"No-no_no_, you aren't sneezing on me!" I said, quickly grabbing the creature who flinched wildly in my hands as I held him arms distance facing away from me. Soon enough, he let off a violent sneeze. I ended up accidentally dropping him back on the bed; Mr. Ziggy slightly struggling to get back up.

"Good morning Jeff. It's a _good _thing you're in a _good _mood this morning!" Paula smiled, almost hinting me on. Oh god, I forgot about _that._ I straightened my glasses.

"I need… tea… coffee… but preferably tea," I said, feeling my eyes sag a bit.

"Actually, we were all thinking of going down to the little restaurant in the hotel for some breakfast. We'll all wait out here for you to get ready," She said as Kato held the door open. I yawned.

"Hmmm alright, just give me a moment," I told them as I picked up my bag and walked towards the bathroom door. I paused as I noticed the door was closed for just a moment until it opened, revealing Ness with his yellow and indigo stripped shirt. However he didn't wear his hat. He rubbed his nose before averting his eyes from me. He smiled, almost embarrassingly.

"Morning Jeff, sorry I was your guy's bathroom," He said.

"Naw, it's cool," I said, keeping note of how he looked today. I hated to say it but… did he seem a little pale? He was dressed in his usual attire, but he lacked his hat for some reason.

"Your voice," I said. Ness gave me a skeptical glance.

"Oh, it'll go away soon, it's just a small cough," He smiled as he got out of my way. I kind of frowned. _Does he really not notice how unhealthy he's sounding lately? _I thought.

"Well if you say so…" I replied unsure, closing the door behind me.

I decided to wear my black tie like a regular tie around my neck rather than a bow tie. I was getting sick of tying the thing around my neck, why was I even wearing it still? I sighed, looking at myself in the mirror, not really expecting much. I wondered what would happen today? I could only assume we'd go to the museum if anything. For some reason, I rubbed my freckled nose at the nook to my forehead. And when I looked down, I spotted a small gray rock. I raised an eyebrow. Why would there be a rock in the bathroom? As soon as I thought about putting the rock in my pocket to throw out later, there was a set of quick knocking at the door. I frowned raising my eyebrows as I opened the door.

Ness's worried face greeted me as he did a gesture with his hands.

"Jeff, have you seen my sound stone? It looks like just an ordinary rock-" I held out the rock to him. I watched as Ness's shoulders dropped three whole inches as he sighed.

"Oh good, thank you…" He said, bringing the rock to his forehead while closing his eyes as he started to walk out of the room.

"You almost ready Jeff?"

"Yeah, almost," I said, ruffling my hair as I straightened my glasses one last time before I exited the hotel room.

---

When we all traveled down to the small restaurant down below, it was more like a small café than a restaurant, and it didn't seem as formal as I thought it would be. We ended up with a round table next to a round window. Ness decided to quickly claim the seat next to the window while I waited for someone else to go in, but then Paula had offered the next seat to me. So I obliged to the offer and scooted next to Ness while Paula took the seat next to me. I guess she didn't want me to worry about sitting next to Kato… or something. The waitress came by with the menu and got our drink orders, all the while flashing each of us curious looks, especially towards Kato.

"Just water for me please," Kato told the waitress calmly and politely.

"May I have some orange juice please?" Paula asked as the waitress nodded and smiled. Then her eyes met mine.

"Ummm, some chamomile tea would be great, thank you," I told her. And as she looked towards Ness, Ness was already making weird tears into his napkin.

"Can I have a pepsi, please?" He asked in his scratchy voice. I raised an eyebrow and objected before she could write it down.

"Ness, you need to build up some strength, soda does nothing for you. Get something else like juice or milk," I told him. Ness simply closed his eyes.

"Well I don't _want_ juice or milk, I want a _soda_," He replied. I sighed.

"Get him an orange juice please," I told the waitress as she nodded.

"I'll get those drinks up right away," She said as she walked away. Ness's jaw dropped slightly.

_"Jeeeff_, why did you do that?" He asked slightly annoyed. Before I could explain myself, Paula butted in.

"Ness, be healthier with your food and drink choices. You need to build your strength for today, that's what Jeff's point is," She smiled to Ness. I mumbled, "yeah." Ness let off a stubborn sigh.

"Fine fine… I'm still getting waffles and scrambled eggs," He said, before putting a hand to his chest. Paula thumbed through the menu.

"I think I'm going to get some oatmeal and a bowl of fruit," She said. I sighed.

"Hmmm… bagel sandwich sounds good to me right now… and a muffin," I said.

"What are you getting, Kato?" Paula asked. Kato closed his eyes and breathed in.

"Water," He replied, smiling. Paula frowned.

"What? No, you have to be hungry from traveling, get something…" Paula said. Kato hummed.

"My colon can't handle your culture's food, it's impossible. Though I could use some fruit…" He said, scratching his chin.

"At least you eat fruit in your culture, right…?" Paula asked. Kato smiled.

"As long as there's no preservatives, I'm fine," He said. I snorted slightly.

"Is there anything you would like to add, Jeff?" Kato asked.

"Aha, no, I'm cool with that," I told him honestly. Kato nodded.

"Very well then," He said, nodding. As we finally got our drinks, and as the lady left, Paula took a sip of her orange juice.

"So… what are we doing today?" She asked Ness, whom was just stirring his orange juice with his straw disappointed.

"I wanna know what's at that museum, remember? Besides, I think there's another sanctuary nearby, remember?" Ness said, as he looked to me.

"That's… why you said you felt safe there, right?" I asked him, sipping my tea. Ness nodded. I didn't know if Paula and Kato caught onto what we meant but soon after we received our food. _That was rather quick_, I thought.

"Enjoy your breakfast you four," She smiled, walking away. I checked the clock, which had read ten thirty am, as I took a bite out of my cinnamon covered banana nut muffin.

It was relatively quiet amongst us as we nibbled on our food, and as I took another bite of my pretty decent sandwich, a twinge of guilt arose in me realizing that yet again this was technically a free meal. Just where did Ness keep getting all this money from anyways? Kato spent his time slowly chewing one of the grapes on the table, and I could have sworn his face showed a hint of disgust. I wondered why? Could he really not handle our culture's food? I took one last sip of my tea before the waitress came back with the bill. Ness told her thanks as he took his orange juice to drink it.

"So… whenever you guys are ready, we shoul-" He was cut off by his own coughing and hacking right then. All three of us looked at him with concern as he kept coughing. Kato immediately handed him his water as I stopped the waitress.

"I'm sorry, could you get us some hot water and honey, please?" I told her as I wanted to pat Ness's back. However, I pulled back as Ness practically swatted my hand away.

"Don't touch me!-" He managed to say before he started choking again. I listened, but I looked at him, while frowning. And as the waitress came back with the hot water and took the bill back, I handed the water to Ness.

"Drink this, it should clear up your throat more," I told him as I handed him the hot mug. Ness obliged, but flinched slightly, probably from the feeling of hot water touching his lips. I looked at him feeling sorta bad. But soon enough he put the mug down sighing.

"Well… that was interesting…" He said.

"Did it help at all?" Paula asked. Ness took a moment to clear his throat.

"I don't know… maybe," He replied. Kato was still silent.

"But never mind that, we should get going," Ness said standing up. Paula and I stood up but in a different fashion.

"Are you sure? Do you even feel up to it?" Paula asked him. Ness snorted.

"What? Of course I am! I'm not going to let some stupid little cold get in my way," Ness said as he pushed his chair in. I shook my head.

"Don't force yourself, Ness, your breathing has been awfully labored lately," I told him. Ness frowned.

"Why would I do that?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I know you're excited about getting to the sanctuary today, but I'm just saying don't overdo it," I told him. He cocked his head, furrowing his eyebrows at me.

"Fine fine, I won't," He said, rolling his eyes. I frowned at him. _You better not,_ I thought.

"So… shall we get going then?" Kato said. I wanted to object, but then Ness spoke up.

"Ummm… yeah, I have the signature from Venus, let's go…" He said, voice trailing off slightly.

So we went back to our rooms, grabbed what we needed and then headed off to the museum.

---

I didn't like the fact that we were relatively quiet on the way there. Even though it was really easy for me to handle such quietness, it was just way too quiet for my liking and the fact that we were off to do possibly more fighting was irritating… not for me personally. I was really happy though that I could finally carry my new beloved 'hyper beam' with me. I kind of smiled at that thought.

I had the sinking feeling that Ness wanted to avoid me today as much as possible, which I guess was a good thing, from what happened the previous night. I immediately scratched my forehead, trying to hide and get rid of my slight blush. When Paula looked up at me, I quickly glanced away. And instead, I just decided to lay my eyes on Kato's back. I frowned slightly…

_God, everything has just been so awkward since he's joined along…_ I thought.

Eventually, we ended up at the intersection where the museum was; all we had to do was cross the street. As we waited, horse carrier passed us by, which had drawn Ness and Paula's attention. And as it attracted my own, my eyes somehow ended up looking to the opposite side of the street to my left side. Immediately I noticed a man, leaning against the wall. He had a dark gray jacket on and a black t-shirt. I didn't really know what to think of him at first as he was faced to us… until the more I looked at him, the more I realized…

… _Was he looking at me?_ I tilted my head as I stared back at the darker looking man. I recoiled slightly.

_His eyes were locked._ _Right onto my own…_ But rather than looking serious… why did they look so stunned? I immediately broke eye contact, turning my head towards the museum. Maybe he reacted to my own eyes? I shivered slightly. Surely he just reacted to my own eyesight… right?

"Jeff, hurry before the light switches!" Paula told me, knocking me out of my trance. I quickly looked back, only to find the man to be gone.

"Y-Yeah, coming," I replied. Soon enough we made it to the museum.

---

"I can't believe this museum is more expensive than the one in Summers…" Ness spoke softly before coughing in his arm.

"It's not like it's a huge dent in your money savings, Ness," Paula replied. Ness stuck his hand to his chest again. He was doing that a lot lately… all before he sneezed.

"Bless you," I told him. Ness was unresponsive, but nodded his head at the very least.

"I don't see him anywhere, do you guys?" Kato asked. Paula shook her head.

"Should we split up and find him, and gather clues?" Paula asked the group. Ness shrugged while Kato nodded.

"I'll scan the next room over," Kato said as he made his way.

"Check in that general direction Jeff, please?" Paula asked me. I sighed.

---

After I had checked the two main rooms, I had nearly given up to go find the others, all until I walked into a room filled with ancient artifacts. But rather than finding anyone that I wanted to, I froze in place.

There standing in front of what looked like a bunch of bones was Orange Kid, dressed in his orange turtle neck and white lab like coat with a note book. He seemed focused, scribbling a few notes down as his narrow glasses would shine. He even wore an orange knit hat that had a small stem sticking from the top of it. _How cute,_ I thought sarcastically. Before I could either decide to go walk right up to him and punch him right across the face or walk away, he turned his head and glanced at me, hazel eyes adjusting their sights on me as he adjusted his glasses on his nose.

"Why… hello there, _Mr. Andonuts_," He said in a calm tone. I kept silent, all the while frowning at him. He tilted his head.

"What? _Surprised to see me?_ We've only met _twice,_" He spoke. _So he did know we were at Paula's house,_ I thought. I wasn't expecting my voice to be as cold as it came out to be.

"Wh… what are you doing?" I asked. He chuckled.

"Just some research _Andonuts,_ what else?" He smiled. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"May I ask what you're researching?" I asked. He smiled.

"Sure, why not?" He said, as if he was waiting for some sort of response. I assumed he took my question too literal, just to tease me for it. I rolled my eyes.

"What are you researching?" Orange kid sighed as a couple of girls passed by, laying their eyes on him before they moved on.

"What I've been researching for a while now actually, I'm just trying to find a way to un-boil eggs really. It's basically for fun though," He smiled. I narrowed his eyes at him. Un-boiling eggs? So Paula's dad was serious? If he was doing that, was there any _specific_ reason why he would want to un-boil eggs?

"Don't worry _Andonuts,_ it's not like I'd chase you four down to _egg _you guys or anything… it's nothing like that," He snickered. I was silent for a moment, deciphering his sentence. Wait…

_"You're up to something…"_ I told him. Orange kid smiled.

_"Hmmm?"_

"Kato joined us only yesterday. How did you find out it was the _four _of us now?" I asked. It was interesting, how his expression almost turned into a sneer.

"Well I've seen the four of you in this museum so I could only assume that he was with you three," He said.

"This is the first time I've seen you here today, nonetheless I checked every room twice except for this one… besides I don't care if what you said is true, you're up to something. The fact that you tried confiscating the Sky Runner… that you _knew_ we were in Paula's house without even seeing us… the fact that you're here right now, doing research nonetheless… _what are you doing?"_ I asked. Orange kid sighed, bringing one of his fingers to play with his long red-headed bangs.

"It's not nice of you to accuse you know… hence, what do you know about me?" He asked. I paused.

"Are you… trying to trail the conversation a different way?" I asked. Orange kid finally took this chance to look me straight in the eye.

"What… _do you know about me?"_ He asked, narrowing his eyes and smirking. I crossed my arms.

"Huh… I should ask you the same thing," I replied. Orange kid closed his eyes, leaning back up.

"The answer is, I really don't know. I don't even know if you're _really Jeff Andonuts_, like you claim you are… but if you are him… I could say I know some things about you, but how do I know they're legit?" He said.

"And I can only assume I can't force the truth on you if you won't accept it," I replied. He chuckled.

"This is very true. So tell me… _Jeff_, how's the _Sky Runner?"_ All I could do for some odd reason was just wait there, arms crossed as if I wanted him to continue.

"You know, with your arms crossed, you're telling me you're uncomfortable," He smiled. I narrowed my eyes at him as he looked down at me, flashing me a taunting smile.

"Jeff, we found him…" Kato spoke as he approached me from behind Orange kid. Both of us were shaken out of the tense moment as Kato barged in. And for a moment, I was almost glad… but curious at the same time.

It looked as if Kato had glared ever so slightly down at Orange Kid as he walked by, and yes, Kato was in fact just slightly taller than Orange Kid was, even if Orange Kid may have been older than him. At first, Orange Kid paid no mind but as soon as he actually looked at him instead of glanced, something… maybe fear? Something came over Orange Kid's expression as he looked away immediately. It was about then I looked up to Kato, who had finally looked at me and pointed the direction we needed to go with his head. And so we went, I took one last glance at Orange Kid, who glared at me. I could only glare back.

_How did Kato do that?_ I thought, glancing back at him one last time as he focused on his work before turning the corner.

"He seemed pretty creepy, didn't he?" Kato asked. I looked up to Kato, who had been looking forward. I could only nod.

"How'd you make him shut up like that?" I asked. As soon as we saw Paula and Ness, who was coughing in the distance he shrugged.

"Who knows," He replied. "But never mind him, we need to get our mission done for today." I frowned. _That was random…_

As we caught up to Ness and Paula, they had been talking to the same man guarding the door. As Ness held up what seemed to be the signature to the man, he almost seemingly snatched it away, inspecting it immediately by practically shoving his nose into the parchment to make sure it was legit. I frowned at him, especially as he looked at Ness again, raising an eyebrow.

"How'd you get this?" He asked.

"I… got it for you?" Ness replied. The man raised an eyebrow at him.

"You must really be interested about what's under there, aren't you?" He asked. Ness stayed quiet for a moment, all until Kato butted in.

"We believe what you have behind the door can benefit us on our quest," He told him. The man tilted his head, giving Kato a very strange expression.

"Well… haha… how can I refuse to a bunch of kids that went out of their ways to get this for me… fine come inside," He said, opening the door behind him.

The hall way was dark and narrow but the end of the tunnel had a door, and as he opened it, I was expecting to be looking at something as great as the Mani Mani stature but…

Before he turned on the dim light, the first thing I thought was that there was a strange sewage stench to the air. For some reason, I braced myself all until he turned the lights on.

There in the middle of the room was a man hole, uncovered with a metal latter leading down to its depths. All four of us circled around the man hole, looking down into its dark depths. The man started snickering.

"Isn't it interesting?" He asked. Paula winced, covering her nose.

"It smells down there…" She said. I looked over to Ness, whom looked at the hole almost blankly.

"Yeah… it is actually. Thanks, this just might have been what I've been looking for," Ness told him, smiling. The man chuckled.

"I'm glad, there's something interesting about down there. It's almost like a civilization down there all together." He smiled.

"Really now?" I asked. The man chuckled.

"Why yes, which is why you should be careful. Are you trying to find someone important?" He asked. We all looked at each other. All of us shook our heads before the man started to laugh again as he walked out the door.

"Well… even if you four are just here to cause mischief, don't tell anyone I let you four here… be careful down there," He smiled before leaving the room. And as soon as he was gone, we just stood there, staring down into the man hole.

"I… I don't know Ness, are you sure you're up to this?" She asked. I took a good look at Ness right then, seeing his expression almost twitch after she said that. I didn't miss how he balled up his fists.

"Well… this is the only chance we have… we have to take it," He said in his slightly hoarse voice.

"You ready then?" Kato asked. It took a moment but eventually Ness nodded.

_"Let's get this over with…"_ He said, before sneezing. I frowned.

_He didn't seem ready to do anything…_ I thought.

---

When we got down the ladder, I was surprised it was actually bright enough to see, but only dimly. Basically the sewers were exactly what I imagined them to be; it was a long stretch of a polluted man mad river, with sidewalks on the edges of the tunnel. All of us except for Kato strangely closed our nostrils.

"So… where to, Ness?" Kato asked. Ness scanned the area about.

"Uhh…" Ness started to cough again. Looking down into the tunnel… I saw nothing. I looked the other way but… it seemed to be the same thing.

"I see doors… do you think we should try them?" Paula asked. Ness cleared his throat.

"We could try… let's go this way first…" Ness said pointing to the right of us. And so we went…

_Did he really know where he was going though? _ I listened into Ness and Paula's small conversation.

_"Just follow the notes…_ do you still have your sound stone with you?" Paula asked Ness. Ness dug into his pocket and held his forehead. He exhaled.

"Good… as long as you have that, we can do this… you can leave most of the fighting up to us…" Paula told Ness. Ness was unresponsive.

---

It was relatively silent between the four of us, and for about a half an hour, it seemed like we were taking circles and making no progress. I looked at the walls, covered in graffiti. Somehow, I felt as if I didn't belong here… apparently, Ness did. I glanced at Ness again, whose eyes were focused, but aimless… did that make _any _sense? We had opened a couple doors but each had some sort of habitat for the homeless. Eventually after ten more minutes Ness stopped. He was speechless, staring down into the sewers. The three of us looked at each other, all until Ness started choking on his own coughs again. I frowned.

"Ness…" Was all I could say. Eventually, Kato put a hand on Ness's shoulder. After what seemed like a small pause, Ness rubbed his nose.

"Thanks Kato…" Ness replied, even though his voice still sounded hoarse. Kato was silent.

"So… what now? We haven't run into it yet… and we can't continue through the whole tunnel either way from the sidewalks…" I mentioned. Ness rubbed his forehead and caressed his eyelids.

"Then there's no other choice…" He spoke in slight annoyance. Ness walked over to the nearest ladder and climbed down. _Into the sewer water._

"Ness, what? You're going through the sewers themselves? You don't even know what's down there!" I told him. However, Ness chose to ignore me and continued down. And when he was down there, all of the gunk and sewage had reached his middle chest. Ness looked like he shivered.

"But Ness… that looks too deep for me…" Paula mentioned. Ness bit his lip.

"Someone will have to carry you then… this is pretty dense and thick…" He said. I closed my eyes.

"Are you even _sure_ this is the only way to get there?" I asked. Ness took a moment to absorb his surroundings before he responded.

"Even not… this is the only option I can think of. We'll be okay… if we all stay as close to each other as possible…" He said. Paula was squeezing her nose by then.

"Can you even smell this Ness? It's disgusting!" I added. Ness looked bugged that I asked that question.

"Honestly Jeff, _no_ I can't smell this very well… my nose is so plugged up I can't smell a thing," He replied, before sneezing again. I put a hand on my hip.

"Bless you- how… how deep is that?" I asked feeling myself shiver. Ness rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Shallow enough for you to walk in, Jeff. Now seriously, _get in,"_ He told me. I frowned, eventually getting in behind him. And as soon as my ankle touched that polluted water, I shivered.

_So cold…_

_This couldn't be good for any of us…_ I thought. When I got in all the way, I held in my stomach… my breakfast, which had been digesting still. For god's sake, anything could have been in this mess… nonetheless, I would have panicked if this was something I had to rely on swimming techniques to bypass.

"I can hold Paula-"

"No Ness, let me," Kato replied, kneeling down to Paula's level. Ness mumbled something as Kato scooted down into the murky waters, all the while giving Paula a piggy back ride.

"The faster we go, the better Ness," Kato told him. I shivered.

"Ness, you know how you called me crazy yesterday? Well I could say the same for you right now… _you aren't-_"

"I'm not turning back Jeff… Kato's right. _Let's just get this over with…"_ Ness spoke all the while giving off a violent shiver. I could only shiver myself, the icy chills running up my skink kept me from speaking another word.

_I supposed that's what Ness wanted all along..._ I thought grumpily to myself…

---

_God_ was this miserable and long, I kept thinking to myself. And the more we went down that long tunnel, the more paranoid I felt about this entire situation. Just the fact that Ness was in horrible condition made this voyage a thousand times worse. And when I thought that I had hypothermia, Ness had weakly pointed to a nearby ladder.

"There… we need to go there…" He spoke, before almost toppling over, as both Kato and I rushed our hands to his shoulders to keep him steady on his feet.

"Are you positive this is the right way?" Paula asked on top of Kato. Ness nodded, before shivering violently and letting off a violent sneeze. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Let's get you out of here," I told him, as I climbed the ladder first to offer a hand to him. Surprisingly, Ness grabbed my hand, rather tightly with a shiver as I dragged him out of the muck. Kato let me grab Paula's hand as well as Kato followed after. The three of us looked at each other in disgust while Ness held his shoulders and shivered.

"How close are we again, Ness?" Paula asked. Ness blinked slowly before weakly pointing to what seemed to be like a small black tunnel.

"It's… right there," Ness croaked. Right when Ness said that, Kato braced himself swiftly.

"Is there something right there?" Paula asked a little frightened. It happened fairly quickly, but not as fast as Kato's reaction time.

A giant rat, the size of a bear, rushed towards us, but as Kato drew his blade to slash the creature across the face. The creature wailed in pain as it swung its tail around to hit Kato, in which had missed. Kato stepped back as the four of us looked at the giant, zombie like creature. Paula covered her nose.

"He smells rotten…" She said. I grunted.

"Probably not as rotten as someone else we've had to fight," I replied, holding out my beloved Hyper Beam.

"Despite the fact that we're in a pretty cold place, don't you think your freezing abilities could work well on him? He seems similar to those undead monsters back in Threed," I told her. Paula responded.

"Good call Jeff, just stay back on this one Ness, we'll take care of this creature," She told him. And as she used her PSI Freeze tactic, I finally fired my hyper beam. The gun worked very well, as it was able to fire the green laser between the rat's eyes. It looked dazed to say the least. _Awesome…_ but why did it feel like this enemy was easier than all the rest? I looked back to Ness, whom kept staring blankly at the rat that had quailed with Kato and Paula.

"Ness…?" I asked. Ness was gripping his chest with both of his hands now, knuckles becoming white as he squeezed his sewer, soaked stripped t-shirt, as he had staggered breaths. He looked awfully pale.

"Watch out!" Paula yelled at us as I saw the rat approach the two of us. I responded quickly as I fired my hyper beam once more at the pitiful beast, putting myself in front of Ness. The creature finally spoke.

_"Why hasn't the chosen one said a word? Isn't this our fight… fight me. Fight me, I will only allow… the chosen one to fight me… fight me… take this spot from me,"_ The rat spoke, as its jaw oozed blood and sewage. All of us finally laid eyes on Ness, whom had taken a couple shaky hands to his forehead. I let my guard down.

_"What… what's happening to me? I can't… where… where am I…?"_ Ness muttered. Paula gasped.

_"Ness!_ Ness, we're close, _hang in there!_ Your sound stone! _Use your sound stone! Don't let your powers take control of you!"_ She finally said. I looked at her in disbelief.

His powers… _taking over him?_ The rat chuckled, as it stumbled slightly.

"_Your powers are taking over you? Hahahahahah… that's just too bad. I'll just have to attack you before you can release it!"_ It hissed as it launched towards Ness. I quickly jumped in front to shoot it in the eyes again while Kato and Paula both attacked from different angles, Kato managing to slice into its rotting back while Paula aimed her freeze attack right where Kato had slashed it. The rat wailed in pain as I managed to fire another laser where Paula and Kato had inflicted the most damage. But as the creature shook its dizzy head, it started to launch towards Ness again.

"_Now I have you!"_ It screeched. Then right as we tried to attack the weak pitiful creature once more, something happened that shocked the living daylights out of me. _Literally._

Ness wailed, grasping his bangs and forehead tightly before he shivered violently. Then my eyesight was nothing but white light, and as quick as it was, it really affected my eyesight as I could see dots dance right before my eyes. I squeezed them shut, feeling my eyes tear up as I wailed. But I wasn't the only one wailing, the monster seemed to be taking this very harshly as it practically screamed.

"Ness! Jeff! Kato! Hang in there, we defeated him!" She told us. Apparently she wasn't effected by Ness's blinding flash, but it soon didn't matter as she let of a negative gasp.

_"Oh no…"_

Oh no, was all I heard before the entire underground started to rumble. _Rushing water._ Rushing water from _where!?_ I opened my eyes again, and to my horror I saw rushing water, coming from multiple pipes as I was pushed violently by one of the rushing currents. I was _nothing_ compared to the power of its force as I was pushed down to one of the off branches of the sewer lines, it swept me off my feet like I was nothing. The first thing I thought of was to quickly grab my glasses, as I shoved them in one of my pockets. The second thing I thought of was panic. The lack of swimming skills dawned on me again as I took in as many breaths above water as I could.

When I turned my head, the last thing I saw was Ness, eyes squeezed shut tightly, just briefly until my head was emerged under the sewage surface. I reached a hand out wildly while the other gripped my pocket and glasses tightly.

_A hand._ I felt another hand reach out for me. It slipped twice, but eventually we grasped each other firmly… _and held on tight._

All until two different currents broke our contact apart, separating us to who knew where…

---

_That night, I had taken the opportunity when father wasn't looking to sneak upstairs away from the party. Or at least to just get out of these dreadfully 'nice' clothes. But as soon as got up the third step, I heard mother's voice approaching the stair way. I quickly got right back down as mom passed by, walking upstairs, probably to check on you, Picky. I leaned against the wall._

_ "Hi there little fella. You should go play with that other boy, he's got no one else to play with," One man told me as he ruffled my hair as he passed me by. I took another look around me._

_ He was right, the only other kids that came to the party were two other girls, one younger and a few years older than me as they were all playing with Ness's sister I thought. When I looked to the back of the room to where the couch was, I saw him._

_ He had been standing by the window, looking up to the night sky. I tapped his shoulder. Ness turned his head and looked at me, almost as if he had woken up from a deep sleep. There was a small pause._

_ "What do you see?" I asked him. Ness shrugged._

_ "Just the stars," He replied. "Aren't they cool?" I took a moment to look up at the night sky._

_ "How can you see them well enough from in here? Let's go outside to get a better view," I told him. Ness at first looked unsure but when I promised him he would be just fine he seemed to nod with a smile. So when we were sure that no one was looking, we snuck around to the garage door and snuck out. As much as I would have wanted to take him outside just for the sole purpose to please him, the real reason why I wanted out was to just get away from that dreaded party._

_ But all of those troubles seemed to go away as the two of us just stood outside on the side of the house, staring up at the starry sky. Ness eventually shivered. So did I._

_ But neither of us seemed to care for some reason for the longest moment._

_ "I see three starts in a row up there," I told him. _

_ "Can you see Sirius?" He asked me._

_ "Sirius?"_

_ "Yeah. Sirius's nose," Ness told me, as he pointed up into the sky. "It's the really bright star that's close to Orion's Belt."_

_ "What's that?"_

_ "It's the three stars in a row," He told me. So I found Orion's Belt again and looked closely around._

_ "I see it…" I told him._

_ "Isn't it cool?" Ness asked. Obviously, he was into stars, I thought._

_ "Yeah… it's really cool... brrrr, it's so cool I'm shivering," I told him. Ness laughed lightly._

_ "Me too… but I kinda like it."_

_ "Ness, Ness where are you?" We heard his mom holler outside in the back yard. _

_ "Uh oh, mom's worried about me. Maybe we should go back inside," Ness told me. I nodded, feeling my stomach turn slightly._

_ "Yeah, good idea."_

---

When I finally came to, the smell of rotten sewage was the first thing I could register. I blinked slightly, taking note of my blind sight. But I felt lucky for some reason, especially when I could finally feel my hands and at least my knees. I could feel the slimy metal between my fingertips and the feeling of thing glass and cheap tape keeping it together. The last moments I could recall was holding onto Ness's hand tightly for dear life. I wanted to breathe, but the air, the cold; _everything_ was making me nauseous again. It was just like when I got wasted from that cake I thought. _I just hope I wouldn't have to deal with any brutal men at this point, _I thought_._ I wanted to keep in my vomit, but soon enough my stomach took over myself as I flipped over quickly to let it all out.

As soon as I was done, I took the time to wipe my glasses the best I could possibly manage to put them against my face and blinked.

I stared straight into the exit of the sewage pipe- dark, narrow and _creepy,_ I thought, as mucky water sludge out of it. God it smelled almost as bad as Master Belch. _Almost._

I used the edge of the cement pipe to support myself up on my feet without slipping. I turned around me to find that this location I was at was near a pretty polluted area around the beach. But I had happened to be near a junk yard as well, spotting the multiple heaps of metal, cars and old appliances. As bad as I felt then, I couldn't help but stare.

_Oh god, it was a gold mine,_ I thought. _No no no, you need to go find Ness and the others,_ I thought to myself. After taking a couple more steps closer to the fence that bound me from it that said, No Trespassing, I started to think to myself, _If only I was as smart as my…_ I froze in place, realizing exactly what I had just thought. I clutched my head in embarrassment and anger.

"No, why would I _ever_ want to be like _him?!"_ I ranted to myself. For another moment, I came to another realization. My eyes widened, as I patted myself. I cursed in realization that my hyper beam wasn't on me. When I dug out my knife, I sighed, frowning.

"Well I guess it's just you and me again…" I told my knife as I stuck it back into my pocket, looking down. My eyebrows popped up.

It shouldn't have stricken me interesting but stuck in the wet water and sludge I spotted a small gray rock. A small, ordinary gray rock… I thought. I took another good look at the ground around me.

Surprisingly… this was the only actual smooth gray rock around… and I hated to say it, but it looked very similar to Ness's sound stone. I scratched my head, eventually sighing in defeat. It most likely wasn't Ness's sound stone, but how could I tell? I picked up the small, smooth gray rock, rubbing my dirty sludgy fingers across its soft but stone like surface before sticking it in my pocket to stand up and walk along the fence, taking glances inside the junk yard. I snorted.

_I needed to take a bath big time,_ I thought, before looking over across the fence, almost freezing in place.

Inside the fence in the distance sitting by itself was a taxi, and despite the fact it looked as if it was repaired somehow, it looked exactly like the one that tried to attack me that one night. Something in my chest felt heavy the more I looked at it, even as silent as it was, seeing it in the light almost frightened me somehow. I didn't realize until then how I was forming a phobia to taxi cars… huh. As soon as I could feel the shiver up my spine, I continued on and out of there. Rather quickly if you could ask me.

---

Eventually, I ended up out into the streets after minutes and minutes of walking. But just where was I going? I really didn't know… I was somewhere in the slums again. The more I thought about, the more I worried again… I brought my hand to my chin.

Where was everyone? They could have ended up anywhere… oh god the more I thought about it, the more troubling it became. It was extremely possible that all four of us were separated in those sewers… and just thinking about Paula out by herself again was frightening enough. I could only pray that I would receive some sort of telepathic message from her… I wanted to rely on that…

Then I started to think of worse things. What if one of the pipes led to somewhere deadly? What if, on the way down a pipe someone got caught on something and ended up drowning? I shivered violently. I thought back at the time I held on to Ness... was it Ness's hand I held onto? _I knew he was there… somewhere besides me,_ I thought.

He was on my left side, I thought… I had been going left from my own pipe I thought so… I thought possibly the more left I went, I'd eventually run into Ness…

_…Right?_

"_Don't let your powers take control of you!"_ Paula's voice run in my memory. The realization clicked finally, as to how serious this could get.

Ness… something was definitely wrong with him. But it got worse than I had ever imagined it to be… Just how did his powers overtake him like that? Nonetheless… a certain memory of when Ness and I were in the hostel came rushing back to me.

"_Please Jeff... it's not amazing to me. It's frightening..."_ He spoke in a hushed tone in my mind. I opened my eyes to this…

This could go way out of hand if I or someone couldn't find him… oh god the possibilities were _endless!_

"What to do-…" I spoke quickly to myself.

"_So... will you ever ask him out or anything?"_ Paula said in my memories. I slapped my head. _Shut up Paula… not at a time like this!_ After clearing my hollow swimming head from the small pain of the sudden pressure, I observed my surroundings again, and it took a moment but I finally realized where I was.

"This… road," I thought out loud. It was the same road that led to the wall… where that sanctuary was…

Moments of the rainy night popped into my head as it played back the moment I found Ness leaning against that graffiti written wall.

_"You left me…"_ He mumbled into my memories. It was right then that I had a feeling of urgency pass through my system as I picked up my pace into a jog, until running down to that end of the wall.

---

"Jeff… _Jeff! Can you hear me? Jeff…"_ A voice in my head rung as I emerged closer and closer to the section of the wall. I closed my eyes.

"Paula… Paula where are you?" I asked in my mind. There was a small pause, at first I feared she wouldn't respond.

"_I'm near the bridge to the desert Jeff, where are you?"_ She spoke.

"I'm nearing the outside of the sanctuary again… but I'm all by myself. I'm trying to find anyone that's nearer to my location," I told her. "Are you alright?" I asked, noticing I started to speak out loud as I passed by a couple of poorer residents, noting more and more graffiti showing up on the brick wall.

_"Yeah… I'm fine. My head hurts, and I smell horrible, but I'm fine. You have to hurry though, try finding Ness as soon as you can; I got a hold of Kato, he's closer to me. If you can find Ness that would be great_…" She told me. I frowned, almost nervously.

"Where is he Paula? Do you know?!" I asked. Another pause as I finally approached that area of the wall in which I did not belong in. I held my chest. Why did I always _feel_ like this whenever I approached a sanctuary location? _You better be there,_ I thought…

_"I haven't been able to contact him yet… it really worries me. Jeff… I think his new sickness is making him weak enough for his PSI abilities to take over him!-"_

"I don't understand! Does it take control of his consciousness too or what?!" I asked her. There was a small pause.

"_Jeff, it's just like if you made an all mighty powerful machine and you somehow lost control of it, that's what Ness is going through right now… we don't know why yet, but this is at least the third time it's happened to him! Now just hold on, I'll contact you later and I'll meet up with Kato somewhere and I'll try getting him to respond to me!"_ She told me, as I approached that certain spot, stopping in my tracks. I grunted as she must have disconnected with me. However, as soon as I looked up to that certain spot on the great wall of graffiti, I froze; hearing the sound of thunder in the distance…

_Someone else_. Someone else was sitting in that exact same spot, I thought. And as much as that would seem normal, something didn't seem right… was it because that this wasn't my place? I thought this was only Ness's place…

He had his head hung low, his dark hair concealing his bearded face. For a moment… I could have sworn the man was dead…

_But nonetheless, it was that same man I saw across the street near the museum._ But why was he sitting around Ness's place? I didn't know why, but I gulped as I saw the man's eye's flutter open. My heart stammered for some reason…

Without even fully thinking, I turned around quickly, walking at a good pace away from that area. I clutched my chest as let off a staggered breath. _Who did he remind me of…_

_I closed my eyes…_

For some reason, I started to run.

---

I was sure I was at least a few blocks away before I could finally slow down to a stop, gasping for breath before shivering. I held myself up by putting my hands on my knees. Sooner or later, I felt a rain drop on my hand. I guessed it was going to rain soon. I looked up.

_Half of the sky was sunny while the other was dark and gloomy,_ I thought, still breathing heavily as I felt another rain drop on my cheek. I flinched as Paula's voice rang in my head again.

_"Jeff, are you still there?"_ Paula spoke. I paused for a moment.

_"Jeff? Jeff?"_ She kept asking desperately as I thought back at the wall.

"Yeah… I'm still here, Paula," I spoke.

_"Jeff, you sound bothered, what happened?"_ She asked.

"Nothing… nothing worth telling. So, any luck?" I asked. I heard her grunt.

"_I… could only get Ness's response for a brief moment. But he couldn't speak logically… he sounds really bad-"_

"Paula, what did he say?" I asked accidentally cutting her off.

"_He just kept asking where his sound stone was in a scared voice… Jeff we have to find him, this could turn out really bad,"_ She said. I opened my eyes for a moment, digging into my pocket.

"I… might have it with me Paula, but I don't know, I can't tell it apart from other rocks. But I mean, I saw it this morning, it looks identical to it. I'm just surprised if it is the right rock it traveled with me rather than sinking in the process," I replied, looking at the small gray stone. Paula gasped.

_"Jeff… as long as you have that, I think we might be able to find him. That sound stone is extremely important,"_ She added.

"Does it give him his powers or something?" I asked.

_"No, no Jeff, it's important because it… it reminds him of who he is, rather than what his role is. It's hard to explain, but it plays a song to him. None of us know what the song sounds like, only he does. But according to him, each time we go to a sanctuary, he remembers something important-"_

"… He has amnesia?" I asked. I… he didn't seem to have amnesia…

_"No no, it's nothing like that… I'll explain things later. Just, have it out right now. I think with that, there's a possibility that you can find him!"_ She said. I frowned, starting to pace again, fearing that I would be followed for some dumb reason.

"Paula, where should I head now?" I asked. Paula paused.

"How _should I know? Go find a place that's high up so you can get a good view on the city. I'll contact you again if I have any decent news,"_ She said before disconnecting again.

"Paula? _Paula?_ Damn it…" I swore. I closed my eyes.

The only high place that was actually high was the roof of the Monotoli building… _I don't have time to get all the way up there and come back down,_ I ranted in my mind.

Damn it, Ness, you better be close somewhere!

---

I wasn't sure how long, but I had just about scanned just about every section of the ghetto. I eventually ran into the other sewage pipe that I suspected Ness to float out of, at first excited that he might have been around the graffiti covered pipe, but no. I growled in frustration, putting the small rock on my forehead.

"How the hell does this thing _work?"_ I ranted out loud, even though it was useless. I ran back out into the street again, I was practically next to the polluted beach. I looked ahead of me, spotting the junk yard in the distance and the edge of it outside of the fence where I had emerged from. Then I looked again.

The other side of the small path that was outside of the fence to the junkyard, there seemed to be a flat hill top. Thought it didn't really seem all that high, I didn't know why I headed that direction.

For some reason… I just had an itchy feeling…

---

The sky at that point was part golden from the sun and part dark and gray from the storm. The first thing I noticed when I passed the junkyard that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up was that, the taxi I saw before was nowhere in sight. I shivered, feeling a couple more raindrops. Feeling almost as if a rush of anxiety came over me, I started running up the small incline to the top. However, as I got up there, my knees seemed to give way, but before I knew it, I tripped. Over some railway…

My chin hit the railroad painfully as I felt the sound stone fall out of my hand and my glasses flew off my face and clanked next to my nose. A few dots seemed to sparkle in front of my eyes as I hissed from the stinging sensation in my jaw. _God,_ now I was getting clumsy, I thought. Hearing another thunder in the distance, I remembered the urgency of the situation; forcing myself up onto my feet, as I put my glasses on. I blinked twice.

My eyes widened. My heart skipped a beat as I fell still.

_That same man…_ I thought.

The man was turned away from me, kneeling up from the ground as he held what looked to be a small rock in his hand. He seemed to examine it while he faced away from me. I gulped slightly. So I wasn't going crazy… _was he following me this entire time?_ _Why?!_ My voice trembled as my fists started to shake.

_"Wh-who are you…?"_ I asked, taking a step back. The man was unresponsive, back still turned against me, but his head slightly turned, as if he wanted to face me but didn't really feel like it. His messy dark, dirty looking hair covered his eyes from the side. I bit my lip. He was really starting to frighten me now…

All we did then was just stand there. Motionless. I furrowed my eyebrows, inhaling furiously.

_**"I asked you a question! Who are you and why are you following me! And why… why do I get the feeling that I've…**_ _I…"_ I couldn't finish my sentence as my voice became too weak. The man paused for a moment, before, walking away from me. I became enraged.

_"Where do you think you're going,_ _I want __**answers!"**_ My voice shook. My voice couldn't vocalize what I was thinking at that moment… but rather what it was feeling.

_"You…"_ He barely mumbled. I tilted me head. _…Me?_

He bent down, and slowly picked up, what happened to be an iron bar of some sort. It didn't register to me then that the railroads we stood on seemed to be still under some construction. And as soon as he picked it up, I was shocked out of my socks.

Instantly, he swung the iron bar around towards me quickly, as my brief reflex barely dodged his attack. I stepped back, gasping as he lunged towards me, swinging the other direction. I yelped, as the iron bar swung around and hit the corner of my shoulder. Grasping it as it seared pain, I gasped as he swung another time, aiming towards my head. Ducking just in time, I lunged out of the way, running a good five meters away before turning around to look at his next motives. _**Holy shit**_ was all I could think at that horrific moment. It was the only way I could describe it.

As I saw the man try to figure out how to approach me, I could finally focus on his eyes again.

_Gray._ _Dull._ _**But burning with an angry determined passion**_, as he charged at me again. It finally triggered in my mind how utterly screwed I was right then. Running away out of his way, I dug through my pockets in a panic. _**Holy shit**__, why did my hyper beam have to go missing so soon?_ The man roared in frustration as he quickly but clumsily took another swing.

Heart pounding and tears started seeping out of the corners of my eyes, I could only do what my instinct told me to at that point. As he swung at me again, I sung across his face with my knife to counter him. The man hissed, standing back as he dropped the iron bar, grabbing his face with the hand I believed held the sound stone. At that part I was shaken up.

As much as I would have liked to, to Pokey, _I've never actually had to cut anyone…_ As he quickly recovered, I noticed the iron bar still on the ground. I quickly lunged forward, picking up the iron bar as he grabbed the back of my shirt- I threw the bar away as far as I could. _Stupid me,_ why didn't I swing the bar around and hit him in the ribs? The man yanked me up as I got a glimpse of his angry eyes and that now bleeding slash across his nose and face.

_Smash._

The intensity of his punch across my cheek bone and nose was _shattering_, feeling myself fly backwards all until he brought another fist and hit me in the Adam's Apple and then another in the stomach. My eyes, forced as open as they could go from the intensity of his blows, I trembled, choking while tasting the tangy metal flavor of my blood trickling from my nose. My glasses were on the brink of falling off my face, but it really didn't matter as my eyesight was going in and out of focus before me anyways. Soon enough, I could taste the salt from my own tears and snot.

I was surprised that there was a pause of mercy, as I prayed for my body to cooperate and let me run. _Run…_ But all I could do was stand, bent over as I started crying. I heard a few staggered, almost forced breaths escape from him.

_What was wrong with this man?_ I desperately started thinking to myself shivering as I looked up at the man, now silhouetted by the golden sunlight. There was a small pause as he glared down at me, nostrils flared, eyes wide like an enraged bull. I gritted my teeth, holding my knife with a shaky hand. Still, he didn't move. I took this opportunity to attempt standing all the way up, stumbling in the process as I shakily held up my knife towards him with both hands. I glared back.

_And for just a moment, I could have sworn that I saw fear in his eyes._ Was that my eyes playing in motion right there?

_But his weakness… what was his weakness…_

Maybe he had none. Or maybe it belonged in an area I had never explored or ever will explore. Soon enough, the man took another swing towards me. Feeling my adrenaline kick in, I dodged out of his way again. That seemed to be the best thing I could even do was dodge. Another swing made me evoke a swing of my own, missing him as he was able to swing the iron bar around to my ribs.

_Smash._

_There went my ribs,_ I thought, biting my lips hard enough for them to bleed as I painfully and weakly waved my knife at him. It seemed to momentarily stop all together as he managed to grip my right wrist with the knife tightly. I winced, shutting my eyes tightly as I held the spot he hit against my ribs. The more he squeezed my wrist, the more my hand was forced to let go.

My knife pathetically fell to the railroad with a small clank, almost immediately before a foot stomped just barely lower to where he punched me in the stomach. And finally I fell on my back. He had finally knocked me down. Eyes quickly wandering to my right, I saw the sound stone, trickled in blood, clatter right next to me.

I gasped for the last bit of air I was expected to breath- before I was sure he was going to beat me to a bloody pulp and kill me in the process. When I opened my eyes, I saw an iron bar headed towards my face. I dodged, barely missing it as I heard it hammer with a metallic clank against the ground next to me. He held up the iron bar again, over his head. I widened my eyes up at his own open, insane, almost crossed eyes.

_"…Jeff?"_ The man suddenly paused, blinking as he turned his head slowly. My eyes widened again, turning my head towards the small weak voice. I relied on my now crooked glasses and my disappearing eye sight just then. It seemed dead silent by then.

There, standing at the edge of the hill looking right back at us with this bewildered, confused look was Ness.


	23. The Uncontrollable Power

_A/N: (long and informative) Thank you, Dream, Red, Shiro and Fubuki, chiken, Lea, Mihakaku for reviewing chapter 22!_

_And of course, thank you Revu for all of the reviews you've put up and all the really good/interesting feedback you've given my story. I'm up at 4 am writing this right now, and while the chapter isn't close to being done yet and most of my mind is blank/tired, I really wanted to say my thanks. Your feedback really re-sparked where exactly I wanted to steer this story detail wise. I've been writing this thing for over a year now, I'm not sure when or if the story will be completed, but after a while, when your interests kind of shift gears or when you get busy with different things, you kind of forget how to write the way you've originally planned. And honestly, that's how I felt these past few chapters of writing. Sometimes I feel forced to write, I don't find the inspiration, just to keep the story alive. _

_So what would be the point of writing? I still have trouble with that, but your reviews helped me rethink (yet again) where this story was heading and how I personally feel about it. I'm really grateful, because now I'm kind of excited again. I'm excited to get this chapter done. I'm excited to get the future chapters done. What I also love is the fact that you've caught errors in the actual content. (and of course the million grammer/spelling errors that I create!) Mainly chapter 5 and some things in chapter 21, and while I usually have answers to everything I write, I honestly can't remember some of the reasons "why" I wrote those parts the way they are. I really should re-write my earlier chapters hence I had no idea I'd be working on it for this long back then. What's really great is that, I'm re-remembering how I wanted to write Pokey's diary entries._

_Actually, Pokey's diary was one of the main problems of keeping this story alive. I was starting to find his entries boring to write about, I was having a hard time switching from Jeff's point of view to Pokey's. Realizing that the two of them are supposed to think differently, it's kind of difficult, especially in the earlier ones. He just acts like an ordinary kid with a boring life and parents that really don't care about him all that much. But of course, when Ness comes along, that all changes. If I really wanted to, Pokey's diary could be a totally different fanfiction all together. If it __**was**__ a different story all together, its rating would be much higher. (evil smirk) Hell, I'd post it on if it was a separate project and go even darker. Which brings me to the conclusion that, yes, this story __**has**__ to be brought up to the mature rating now, it's getting to that point. Just the diary entries alone, later is a reason why. _

_ But yeah, thank you again. I'm sorry that this author's note is long as heck, but I really wanted to tell you how I felt. I found a new inspiration to write again and it's refreshing, daydreaming about my chapters C: I'm still not crystal clear on how these future chapters will pan out but I'll have an easier time now, figuring that out._

_And just thanks everyone. C: _

_Thanks for reading. I never knew this story has hit some of you to a personal level like it does with me at times. It really makes me happy in a way x,D Also, this story is reaching the 10,000 hit/pageview mark. Thank you guys so much for enjoying my chapters C: And I'm really sorry you guys had to wait this long for the next one! xS_

_Also, I wanted to say or ask all of my readers that's been reading for a long time now, is it just me, or do my X's around the titles of my past chapters keep getting deleted/erased? I put them in every chapter, it's been a tradition since like chapter 3, and they've always shown up on in the past but now suddenly they're disappearing. O.o I hope it's just the website or my imagination and no one hacking into my account D: Because that would make me really worried ;v;_

_Anyways, you're probably wondering by looking at the scroll bar that, this chapter is much shorter compared to the ones I've been putting up. That's because this and the next part I'm currently working on were 'technically' going to be one chapter but I thought today while writing, this is waaaay too fucking long. I'm still trying to finish it, it's almost done but, it's already 21,429 words for the 2 combined, which is 48 pages according to Microsoft word. That's longer than chapter 22, and it's still not done! I really don't want to get longer than those ID So I might start posting up shorter chapters from now on, which in fact, might be good news for you guys, that could mean more frequent updates! Hopefully…_

_ Anyways, this one ties into the next, takes place on the same day, etc. I'm really hoping to put the next one up tomorrow… Sorry this part is so short! _

_ Anyways, I hope you enjoy this first part ID_

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxX

_It was the strangest thing. As so I thought when I gazed out the window from my dark bedroom. The night time breeze was refreshing, as I now spent my summer nights looking out of the window. Up to the stars._

_ I was never fascinated with them before, but suddenly, it became a daily routine. An addiction. It made me happy. It made me sad. Scared. Mesmerized. Relaxed. Emotional._

_ I could feel all of this, for no specific reason because of how I looked up at those stars. _

_All because of that silly boy next door._

_And as soon as I thought of the boy, I started to feel all of those mixed feelings again. He was my first friend. He was happy, I was happy._

_I never got along with most of the other kids. They didn't want to be my friend. And none of them interested me. It was the first time I felt optimistic about starting school next week._

_And as I looked up into the sky, out of my daydream, I saw what seemed to be a comet._

_Traveling closer and closer…_

_Until it transformed into a glittering butterfly…_

_The butterfly then landed peacefully on the window sill that belonged to my new friend._

_And as soon as the butterfly fluttered away again, it disappeared into the night._

_Like one fading off to sleep…_

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxXxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 23 The Uncontrollable Power_

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX_  
_

This was the worst thing that could have happened at this time. And here it was, standing right in front of us.

Ness looked drunk and weary. His clothes and hatless hair were a mess, as well as mine. And it was either my own eyesight and blood draining head that made him sway or he actually was. I wasn't sure how long I could keep him focused in my eyesight. My head slowly lowered itself to the ground, but I kept my eyes open. Somehow the quiet awkward moment stiffened me the most. I couldn't move.

Ness seemed to stumble, keeping his now narrow eyes on the murderous man above me. I could hear the clank of the metal bar land besides me. I tried to look at the man, straining my eyes, to see him looking back to Ness with an emotionless face, all until I couldn't hold up my head any longer. Ness seemed to take a small step forward.

"Wh- what are you… _what are you doing…"_ Ness spoke in a rasped voice. The man let off a small cough, but he didn't respond. Ness looked as if he was gritting his teeth.

"What- _what are you doing to my friend?!"_ Ness sounded as if he was starting to go in tears. I closed my eyes, trying to breathe in, even though it hurt like hell.

_"__**Answer me!**_" Ness's voice was shaken up. When he took in a big breath, I could hear the trembles as he inhaled and exhaled.

"_**Answer me before I lose my mind god damn it!**_"

"…" The man kept silent again. Ness panted.

"Ahaha… I know now… I get it. _You're just like him._ You're just like that _disgusting_ fuck, aren't you?" Ness ranted, voice not sounding like him at all. I was starting to fear this moment even more as I felt my spine shiver. If I hadn't have been so weak, my jaw would have dropped.

"Ness…" The man spoke finally. My eyes slowly widened again after I heard the man speak his name, as if he was trying to remember something. I heard him take a step forward. I tried wrestling with my newly broken ribs as I tried forcing myself to at least a sitting position, supporting myself up by my trembling arms. I was about to attempt to say something, only for the both of us to be silent once more.

"_Don't come near me!"_ Ness hissed at him angrily. The man did what he was told. I drifted my weak eyes towards Ness, whom looked as if he was trembling. Not with fear, but with rage.

"You… have _some _nerve showing up now… and here, out of all the places…" Ness finally drifted his eyes towards my own. He looked almost as if he winced. For some reason, it hurt. Ness hid his face in his palm as he shivered violently again, muttering something illegible.

"Ness…?" I barely muttered. Now breathing was even starting to hurt, and it was a mere struggle for me to keep myself up.

_"How dare you…"_ Ness's voice cracked, all until he started to hold his forehead again.

_"How dare you hurt him… hurt me-"_ Ness's voice cracked again as he violently shivered again, all the while digging his fingernails into his scalp. It was about then that my arms were running out of the strength to keep me up. I shivered violently, gulping as I could feel my breath hitch.

Of course, I wasn't the only one that had a hitched breath. Ness seemed to stagger forward as if he was about to collapse on the ground before wailing and groaning_. _My eyes widened._ What the hell happening to him? _I thought.

_"Ness-"_ I said out loud as I tried forcing myself onto my feet, all until my ribs protested to the movement. I winced, hissing as I held that spot. _This is bad…_ I thought to myself.

"… Get up, boy," The man grunted. My eyebrows furrowed. He was talking to me? I looked up to him, his form moving in and out of focus. His cold unfocused glare struck me through dirty long black locks of hair, but then flashed back to Ness.

Suddenly, I was forced onto my back again, by what felt almost like a strong gale of somewhat concentrated wind. My back almost felt like it could crack, but in reflex to the sudden force, I immediately struggled back up. Onto my feet if I could. But when my body positioned itself to a kneeling position, I looked up, only to find in distraught what happened just then.

Ness seemed to have punched the man in his lower left jaw, making his head turn slightly. The circulating air around them blew our hair in an unordinary fashion. In moment's the energy was hot and rapid, other times it would slow almost to a stop but the air would be as crisp as the air from Winters.

Ness gritted his teeth as his fist was still connected to the man's jaw; as I could see the tension between their glares. However, while the man's eyes were clearly focused at this moment, Ness's were not.

_That was strange, I thought… when the man looked at me, his eyes were exactly like Ness's in a sense… raging, but unfocused._ It chilled me to the bone. Ness's arms and shoulders started to shiver violently as he started to lower his head, letting his free hand grope his face in anguish. I forced myself onto my feet finally, trembling in the process.

"_Ness, get away from him…"_ My voice trembled as my heart started beating faster. "This isn't right… _something's not right…"_ As I said that however, the untamed energy increased as Ness's body jolted. It was the first time I had ever heard Ness wail out like this, in a sense of suffering. Was he in pain? I couldn't help but try walking up to him. Ness had finally started to slowly crouch down into a kneeling position, shivering again. Something welled up into my chest as I could feel my eyes watering up slightly.

"Ness, say something… _get away from that man, please…"_ I almost felt as if I was going to panic. What would happen if Ness really wasn't ok? Why hasn't Paula said anything else to me? I squeezed my fists as I felt the pain in my ribs welling up again. I was shaken. Ness wasn't standing back, at least not on his own will. There was a moment of pause.

"His sanity isn't going to last much longer… he's mentally breaking down. You should run before it kills you," The man told me. A mental breakdown? It hurt to speak at the time, but I was able to choke out something.

_"Just… who the __**fuck**__ are you?_ And why should I listen… _after you tried to kill me yourself?!"_ I rasped before choking on my hurting lungs. The man was silent. At this time, both of us looked back to Ness whom was now on all fours. I could see faintly, a small aura around him that shown a faint color of violet. He groaned.

_"Mom… help me…"_ He whimpered. He was petrified now, breathing so loudly as if he was going to hurl up something nasty. My lip trembled.

_"Ness, please!-"_ I darted forward, all until another rush of power dared to push me back. I used my arms in attempt to block myself. Squinting as I felt like falling back again, I saw the man kneel down to Ness's level. Something in my insides turned horribly…

It wasn't that man that made him act like this… was it? I could see the man, not phased; at all by Ness's out bursting PSI, as he went to reach out to him somehow. This alarmed me, as I really thought the man would do something horrible to him. I fought the power that tried pushing me away, all so I could try to stop him.

Then suddenly as the man touched the back of one of Ness's hands, the PSI suddenly died down. I had to react and think fast.

_**"Ness!"**_ I yelled, running up to the both of them. And I did the dumbest thing possible.

Throwing my own punch at the man, I realized that it was a stupid mistake. I had managed to graze his nose as he managed to dodge my lame attempt of an attack. He looked at me, almost tilting his head. And although it didn't look emphasized, I took it as a taunt. My voice stuttered. I was disgusted.

_"What did you do to him"-_ Suddenly, the man threw a hand down to the collar of my shirt and dragged me to his nose, snarling in my face.

_"Don't go near him, boy._ _You'll only make it worse."_ He spat in my face. My breath was shaken up.

_"And how could I make it worse, bud? I'm part of his permanent team, __**you had no right to touch him**_**,"** I roared back. Ness's hoarse breathing could clearly be heard next to us. The man looked down to him, then back to my eyes. He shivered again, as he tried to focus on my eyes. In a sense, he still failed. And it boggled me to the core.

"Unless if you want to get yourself killed, then go ahead. Fine by me, but don't say I didn't warn you," He replied. I snarled, trying to fake a smile.

_"But isn't that what you want?_ You really _did_ seem determined to kill me just now," I chuckled darkly. I could tell that something clicked in his brain. Something that I was starting to fear. I gulped.

"I-I mean, since when do you have any part of our business at all? Are you out after us? I bet you're at least connected to Giygas… just like that bastard that tried harming Ness disgustingly all those years ago!" I growled.

Speaking must have not been the smartest thing for me to do there, since right after I spoke that, he punched me in the face once more, all the while kneeing me again in the gut and knocking me down onto the ground. Recoiling from the violent drop, I could taste the blood in my mouth again as I struggled getting up, squinting angrily at the man above me. Of course he glared down at me, and I wondered if he would just finish me off right then. Instead he looked back down at Ness, who seemed to quiet down again.

He started to turn and walk away.

_I couldn't believe what I was seeing! _

_**"Get… back here!"**_ My voice was horribly hoarse and strangled as I pushed myself to get on my knees. When I looked over to the man again, he was stopped, back facing towards us.

"Let him abuse his power… let him use it all up. That's the only way he can be cured," Was the last thing he told me before walking away again. Ness's grunt was followed by more heavy breathing. I gritted my teeth in anger. I was starting to feel like how Ness felt just moments ago.

_**"Get back here now you bastard!"**_ I hollered at him again. However, he was too far then, and he never looked back. I could feel another trickle of blood drool down my chin as I timidly looked over to Ness.

I just couldn't get over how Ness was acting. I had never seen Ness act this way before… I never thought I'd ever see him act this way…

Just what happened anyways? What happened that led up to this situation we were in now?

Suddenly, when my mind stopped questioning the situation and just _focused_ on the present… I could feel it again.

_Energy._

Energy flowing around in a strange and unusual pattern. And it was in this moment that Ness finally stood up silently, only to drop his arms to his side, head lowered and eyes closed calmly. I looked down to his feet as I could see the small pebbles and dirt start to gravitate away from him, just gradually. By this time, the pain in my ribs and everywhere else became a secondary afterthought. It was still there, and man did it hurt, but I found the energy. The energy I needed to gain myself onto my feet again.

Grasping my shoulder as it protested in agony, I managed to bring a finger to my nose to straighten my glasses. I took in a deep breath… the biggest I could handle.

"Ness…" I managed to mutter. Ness was unresponsive. I furrowed my eyebrows at this.

"Is this what you were talking about before? Why you were so uptight and you weren't feeling ok? Why didn't you tell any of us?" I realized on the back of my mind that I was more so talking to myself rather than to him. I put a hand on my forehead. Maybe if I let him stand there to cool his head off and let his energy go- steadily, everything would be ok. Was this all a matter of just having too much PSI that he couldn't handle it? How did that happen? I looked in the distance again, to see the man far off in the distance on the railroad track. The sky now was stormy and darkening.

I could hear Ness breathing again, though much calmer than before. I looked down again, as I watched the rocks travel past my feet. My eyes finally drifted over and spotted that peculiar rock.

The sound stone, trickled in blood, was starting to roll away as well. I bit my lip as I quickly snatched the small rock into my hand. I tried rubbing the blood off, even though some of it looked like it would be there to stay for good. From the sound stone, I looked back at Ness.

And realized a small detail.

I wasn't sure what would happen if I walked up to him, or if I tried to touch him myself. Limping now, I stumbled a little closer to him.

"Ness… this is yours…" I told him, trying to hold out the sound stone to him. Still, he seemed unresponsive. I finally shook in a fit of rage.

"Son of a bitch Ness, please _say_ something! This is your sound stone, is it not? If it's yours, take it!" I semi-ordered him harshly. Finally, _finally_, his eyes opened, without raising his head. His eyes looked abnormal to me as they locked onto what was between my fingers.

Suddenly, Ness twitched and moaned again, grabbing his head. I gritted my teeth.

"Ness, I wish you could say something, just anything. _What's happening to you?"_ I asked, finally standing right near him. Ness hissed again.

_"Stop… please…"_ He hissed. I furrowed my eyebrows again as a couple more tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes. I was getting really impatient about this.

I didn't care if anything bad happened to me if I reached out to touch his hand like I did, gently grabbing it, only to find that Ness literally squeezed my hand, painfully. I winced, bringing my other hand to slip the sound stone snuggly in between our grip. My heart started to brace for the worst as the energy around us seemed to react at a more alarming rate. It was then that Ness's eyes shot open, staring down at our clasped hands with this horrified look upon his face. My heart sank, thinking that I did something terribly wrong. Ness started to breath deeper and at a more rapid pace, as soon did I after as the energy around us grew and grew.

Until Ness started to take off, grasping onto my hand for dear life.

---

_"Hey Pork chops, hurry up, your friend is waiting for you at the front door," Dad spoke, knocking on my door as I put my notebook in my bag and lazily slipped my beaten shoe on my foot without tying it. Opening the door, about to run down the stair to meet my friend at the door, a strong hand halted me. Dad cleared his throat, dressed up as he was about to head off out to work._

_ "Six o' clock. Don't be late for dinner," He told me. I nodded, as I grabbed my lunch as I rushed out to the porch._

_ Ness was just leaning on our porch watching the cars pass by and my dad driving off. When he turned around to see me, he smiled._

_ "You always wear that," Ness said, gesturing to my overgrown tattered white shirt and beaten up overalls. I cocked my head._

_ "They're the only clothes I have though," I replied. Ness frown slightly._

_ "You don't have any more clothes?" He asked. I actually lied to him, but in all honesty, these were the only clothes I chose to wear at the time. I shook my head. Ness didn't seem to know how to handle the small sad bit of information but his eyes felt bad. I shrugged._

_ "I don't mind," I said as we started walking to school._

_ "Ness, you forgot your hat!" Ness's mother shouted out at us as we had just passed Ness's house. Ness bit his lip and rushed back._

_ "That's right, I forgot!" Ness said. I watched as he rushed up on his porch, immediately embracing his mom, pressing his cheek against her tummy as she hugged him back, placing the cap on his head sloppily. As they tore apart, she planted a kiss on his forehead. In response, Ness wrinkled his nose before hugging what seemed to be Tracy holding their mother's hand. After Ness planted his own kiss on her forehead, he took off again, jumping over the porch steps and out to greet me._

_ "Invite Pokey over and I can make the two of you sandwiches after school," She smiled. Ness's face lit up._

_ "Oh boy, I can't wait! Mom makes the beeeest food ever…" Ness said, smiling._

_ "Really?" I asked. Ness's nod was fast, as he placed his hat on his head to keep it from falling off._

_ "She makes the best steak ever! You will never taste steak as good as my mom's steak!" Ness went on. _

_ "Well my mom makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… even if I have those every day," My voice trailed off. We became quiet again, which happened a lot when we had nothing interesting to say to each other. _

_ "Pokey?" Ness asked. _

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "Umm… do you get nice things from your parents?" I cocked my head. _

_ "What do you mean by that?" I asked. When Ness looked at me, he seemed uncomfortable with the question. I didn't get it at the time though, or so, I had never really thought about it. I took it as a joke though._

_ "Well I get dessert if I do my homework," I replied. When I said that, Ness seemed to drop his jaw._

_ "Lucky… my mom will only let me have dessert on Fridays…" He frowned. I teased him by laughing at him._

_ "Sometimes if I'm really lucky, I'll have seconds," He smiled. Ness's frown deepened, in a humorous kind of way._

_ "Do we have the same teacher?" Ness asked. "I hope so," He smiled._

_ "What grade are you in?" I asked him._

_ "I'm starting first grade!" Ness said._

_ "Nah, I'm in third grade. We have different teachers," I said. Ness looked to the ground._

_ "Oh yeah… you're two years older than me," He said. "We can still meet at recess though!" I smiled inwardly at the thought of that._

_ Recess with Ness._

_ Finally, a recess where I'm not walking around in endless circles, I thought. Before the both of us knew it, when we approached the school, the bell rang as we saw all the kids on the playground run back to class. We looked at each other in panic._

_ "Uh oh, better not be late! See you at recess!" Ness told me as he ran off. I would have ran myself, but I chose to walk._

_ And I thought about how Ness's mom hugged him. How happy the both of them looked._

_---_

In a matter of seconds we were charging through the city, across waters, avoiding trees, and then a small pause as we flew above the stormy clouds, a place that was still lit up by the golden sun. And then everything rushed again, as I felt my skin steadily slipping from my body.

My arm gave a violent jolt as our arms slipped from each other. I stumbled onto the ground, feeling my head swim in circles from the intoxicating teleportation. Ness screamed as I felt myself slip from the pavement again. I was surprised that my glasses were still plastered on my face, it was amazing. I quickly tried standing up, feeling myself stumble again. We were in the desert that was before Fourside. Thankfully. I started worrying if there was going to be more teleporting. If he really had such little control over where we'd end up…

I panicked as soon as I realized that the sound stone was missing once more. However, I widened my eyes further at the PSI ability, stronger than ever, hurling right at me. Running the quickest pace I could possibly imagine, I jumped out of the attack's way, seeing the load of energy being taken out onto a dead tree, which broke in pieces and started to fly away. I gasped again, as a weaker power, right after a flash hurled at me just then. Rolling out of the way, and looking on the pavement again, I found the small rock I had looked out for. I was starting to wonder why this simple looking rock was becoming easier and easier to spot. Picking it up, I held my ribs as I tried rushing up to the drunk-like powerful Ness, wailing again.

When I grabbed Ness's arm again, he seemed to take quicker notice, trying to fight my grip as a gleam of light flickered into the distance behind me. I was starting to sense more of his sanity, especially when it seemed as if he finally reacted and spoke to me.

_"What are you doing?!"_ Ness questioned as I grasped his hand with the hand that held the sound stone. Ness grunted again.

_"I'm trying to help you,"_ I told him. He replied with more wails of agony as he tried stumbling again. Keeping a firmer grip on him this time, I used my other hand to slip around his back.

But it was in a matter of moments before we started to rush again. This time, I'd make sure I wouldn't lose that damn stone again.

This time, we ended up on the shore of Summers, as we let go again, feeling the sound stone roll off, but quickly gripping it again between my fingers. Ness seemed to run fast along the shore and I was afraid then that he would try taking off with me. But he seemed to stop himself, digging his heels into the sand. I was sure that the people on the beach looked at us like we were insane but I didn't care at all then. Ness seemed to stagger, as it looked like his wild and panicked eyes were looking out for something. I could hear him, almost laughing, but in a scared fashion.

_For me and the sound stone? Was my plan really working after all?_ I paced towards him as when he spotted me again, he wanted to unleash more PSI. I pointed towards the ocean.

_"That way!"_ I told him, as he quickly obeyed, grunting as he used another strong PSI ability, at nothing. I finally reached out to him, as he soon did himself as we grabbed hands again. Soon were dashing across water.

When we slowed down again, we were standing in a strange location that reeked of sludge and smelly mud and possibly poisonous substances. This time, the sound stone slipped out of my hand, but it looked as if Ness was holding it. His fist shook, forcing his body to not let go, it seemed. His body jolted again, but as I tried moving towards him again, the sludge we were standing in kept my feet planted. I covered my nose.

_"Ness!_ Keep calm, I'm coming to get you!" I told him as I struggled with little effort as I tried moving out of my spot. My body was becoming too weak for all of this, as I shivered. I looked up to Ness, whom was walking up to me instead.

_"Hand…"_ He grunted before he made a sound as if he wanted to throw up. As soon as he was close to me again, he grabbed it. We darted off once again.

When we rushed above the clouds again, the sun had started to fade and the sky was a mixture of purple and blues. In a matter of seconds, we were rushing back down to earth once more.

We landed into what seemed to be another desert. A very vast and gigantic desert. And just for the slightest moment I was mesmerized by what seemed to be a giant sculpture in the distance.

_"Jeff!"_ Ness managed to say in a strangled sounding voice as he let off another lash of energy again. It was subtle but his random attacks were getting weaker and weaker. But just where were we now?

_"The sound stone… the sound stone… I need it…"_ He croaked. I again searched the cracked sand again frantically for any signs of the stone. It was then that something unneeded happened.

A flying saucer, similar to the ones in the other desert spotted us and decided to try and ambush us. I shook my fists as it charged a laser.

"Ness, try focusing an attack on it, now!" I told him, looking around the ground madly for the stone. Ness struggled slightly as I was sure he managed to unleash another attack, at something rather than myself. When I finally spotted the stone, I stepped back suddenly from the beam of light that dented the ground before me. I gasped but kept my eye on my goal as I snatched the stone right up.

When I looked up, my eyes widened again.

Somehow Ness was knocked down to the ground as the saucer was about to plan another attack on him. Charging its laser again, I dashed.

_"Ness!"_ I shouted; jumping right in front of him as the laser launched.

_"Jeff!"_ Ness screamed as I was struck by one of the saucer's beams. I hissed, grabbing my now burning shoulder wincing, but keeping my hand squeezed tightly around the stone. I looked up to the saucer again as it wanted to strike me again. As my eyes hallucinated, I started to view the saucer in a different way. My heart stopped as my eyes played more tricks on me, making the flying saucer take on more of a humanly figure. Time froze, just for a moment.

_"Jeff!"_ Ness got up again, grabbing the hand that was holding the stone. And then suddenly it was as if time was rushing at its rapid pace once more as I was dragged away from that enemy.

Finally, we landed where I really didn't want to land or somewhere around there. The bitter cold crept up on my body as it both bit and soothed my sores. However, Ness was still groaning again, letting off another powerful lash of energy. He then clumsily turned towards me as another attack flew at me. I stumbled out of the way, my face planting down into the snow. It was then that I took a moment to pause for a moment.

My body was never in as much pain as it was now, and it proved to me that I wasn't ordinary, because if I was, I would have died much quicker. Though on the back of my thoughts I really did think I was dying. I looked blankly in the distance, letting my weak wobbly sights onto the stone once more, sitting snugly in the snow while listening to the sounds of Ness's struggles.

It was then that I finally realized.

Ness was crying, wasn't he?

He was crying. He was just as lost as I was. I could feel a tear trickle down the side of my cheek as the sound stone wobbled in my watery view. I shivered violently, forcing myself up to grab the stone and end this.

I used the nearest tree to support myself up onto my feet again, wanting to lean on the tree forever, I looked over to Ness again, who shot off another good round of attacks into the trees, which in return knocked down a good amount of snow from each of em. I felt a snowflake touch my cheek as I struggled walking towards him once more, this time doing it slowly. I prayed, even though I didn't believe in any savior, that he was sane enough to not go off without me. It was starting to feel like this slow pace of walking was as straining as running itself, after a long while you just get tired, and you want to collapse. I couldn't do that, just no.

Ness looked tired himself, as if he wanted to collapse too, in a sense. I exhaled, realizing that the cold air made it nearly impossible for me to breathe anymore.

"Ness…" I muttered silently, reaching out for him. Ness let off another roar, as I felt more energy pass me. It was getting to the point where I could barely feel it. Ness was now facing me, with wide, crying eyes as his breaths were still labored. I smiled faintly.

"_Ness… c'mere…"_ I mumbled to him staggering another step. Ness once more accidentally let off another wave of hot then cold energy.

Feeling my eyes becoming too heavy, I could feel his presence close to me. So I reached out to him. He seemed frozen still as his PSI circulated around him, around us.

"Ness… its ok, let it go… _let it… go…"_ I could barely vocalize that bit, but I felt as if he heard me crystal clear then. Looking at Ness's half surprised, half zoned-out expression made me chuckle on the inside as my hand finally found his.

And as our fingers intertwined after putting the sound stone into his palm, we put our connected hands against his heart. And with my other arm, I weakly slung it around his waist. And as I put my chin on his shoulder, I finally closed my eyes, feeling a still warm beating heart against my own weak one.

And I held him like this, letting him use up whatever energy he had left around us. It was in a matter of moments that Ness responded with his own arm, embracing me back. I could feel his face slightly nuzzled into my nearly destroyed right shoulder.

We stayed like this, for quite some time.

It figured that I was about to lose all my strength then, as I could feel Ness's warm tears on the side of my neck. My fingers tightened around his back.

"_Ness… I can't stand much longer… this is killing me," _I mumbled into his ear. Ness shivered as well as I could feel his embrace tighten. And while I didn't mean to, my embrace kept loosing. I finally shivered myself as well. It was getting really cold, and my once wet and now laser-damaged jacket wasn't doing me any good. But I figured that Ness's light-weighted stripped t-shirt wasn't doing him any good either.

I finally put my hands on his shoulders in attempt to bring ourselves apart, only to find myself lose the strength to stand on my own. I squeezed his shoulders to keep myself from falling, even though my head had already tried sinking to the snow beneath us. Ness was taken aback of this, gasping as he propped my shoulders with his hands as well. I shivered violently, feeling my body go into pain once more.

"It… it really hurts right now…" My voice shook, not sounding myself. "You're better though… right? Don't go senile on me now, haha…" I chuckled at the last bit, looking at Ness's worried eyes. For a moment, I studied how his exhaled breath formed a cloud of steam, all before my ribs and shoulders screamed again; feeling myself lose control as I finally lost the strength to stay up. I could feel myself fall to my knees as Ness gasped.

_"Jeff!"_ Ness exclaimed nervously before I felt myself slowly lay on the snow to black out.


	24. Butterflies

_A/N: thank you, Revu and Mihakaku for reviewing my small chapter 23!_

_ And aww, I'll try keeping the story alive as much as possible! X3 You guys continue to amaze me ;v;_

_ After a day of having this chapter posted up on , __**I'm going to raise the rating to Mature.**__ So, by default search settings, (or at least my default search settings for some reason) you won't find this story in the earthbound section, you'll have to search under also the mature rating in the section once I configure the new rating. So just a head's up so you won't be confused like, omg, she deleted her story! D: No XD_

_ So, this chapter, despite what I said in the AN in the last chapter, is 59 pages long! So this is the longest chapter to date! Hopefully it'll stay that way! Just maybe… But I really wanted to keep this chapter as one unit._

_ This chapter has done what most of my recent previous chapters have failed to do, at least for me. This is probably the biggest it chapter to date… and you'll all see why._

_ This chapter is going to raise a lot more questions, a lot of major ones._

_ And… well…_

_ Don't skip ahead C;_

_ I'm exhausted as I type this, as I will try to edit this and look this over now as best as possible. Hopefully when I post this, there isn't any huge noticeable errors... I have a feeling that this website's document manager keeps deleting and wrecking some of the content in my story, like my X's go away, and the word K.O. got reduced to just K... while comparing to Microsoft word, I know for sure I typed K.O.'d, it's written right there! (too exhausted to look it over now though)  
_

_Anyways, thank you guys for being so patient, I'm sorry that this took so long! ;v; Now I get to wake up to a whole day of homework! /dies_

_And I don't know why , but looking over this chapter over and over again, the more I notice the second to last Pokey entry… the more freaked out I am about it. I wrote it, and I just kinda scared myself… that's a first XD You guys probably won't find it freaky at all... I don't think. I hope there aren't too many errors in this, I can barely look at the screen! x.x;  
_

_Please, enjoy! X3_

XxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxX

_ "Here the two of you go!" Ness's mother smiled as she handed us our sandwiches around the table. Ness's tongue licked his lips as mine couldn't help but do the same as I looked down at my little mid-day snack._

_ Ness was definitely right, Picky, even though you already know that Debbie's a damn good cook. But its thoughts like these that make me think of how… spoiled he is._

_ I know I know, Picky. Dad had the decency to give me some nice money once we left that household years later, and you got to live with mom, who ended up doing jack shit in the house but… well you know…_

_ Doesn't it at least make you mad? _

_ When it was almost 6, I had to leave Ness's house, even if I didn't want to leave. You know how it would be now if we got back home after curfew. Debbie was pretty awesome, especially at the time, and Ness, Tracy and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the back yard. I was starting to figure out what friendship was like…_

_ When I entered the house again, the one thought that had been replaying in my mind was still there. Somehow Debbie hugging Ness at the beginning of the day couldn't leave. _

_ Mom had been making dinner, earlier than usual, burning the meat like she usually did. Thinking back again at the hug scenario as I watched my mother cooked stirred an awkward feeling inside._

_ Without saying a word, I walked up to my mom as she put a few spices on the meat, I dared wrapping my arms around her._

_ I must have taken her by surprise, because when she gasped at the sudden gesture, her arm accidentally hit the handle, in which a hot, oily substance splashed my face. Recoiling painfully, I plastered a palm quickly to my cheek in response._

_ And boy did it burn…_

_ "Pokey! What the hell are you doing?" She asked, swatting my head with the oily spatula. I bit my lip, looking up to her. She didn't seem really happy. And she didn't seem to have any sympathy as I could feel a tear trickle down my stinging cheek._

_ "It's 6:05. Did you do your homework yet?" She asked. I shook my head._

_ "We didn't have any…" I replied. She snorted, blowing her nose in the air without a tissue._

_ "Well then no dessert. Get upstairs and wash that mess off before your father gets home," She ordered me as she continued to flip the meat and season it. I took a moment to look at her in distraught._

_ "Yes mom…" _

XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 24 Butterflies_

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxXxxX

The first thing that came to mind was the sound of geese in the distance as I heard a few fly away. I wasn't sure what my mind was thinking then as my eyes drifted into a conscious sight. For minutes I wasn't really absorbing what was actually happening, all until I could feel something stir behind the back of my neck, and in return, my eyes finally saw the white sky. My skin turned cold. But the back of my head was warm.

Right above me, Ness shivered, head buried in his arms as I could see his teeth bite his bottom lip as he vigorously rubbed his arms to keep himself warm.

"…Ness?" My lips formed looking up to the boy inches above me. It also started to dawn on me, when I moved my cold hands from my chest to feel up and down my body, particularly to my once busted ribs. Ness shivered once more before noticing my sign of life.

Trying to sit up away from his lap, my body didn't protest from pain but rather from the cold and stiffness. Double checking my body as I touched the once laser-destroyed shoulder, my lips finally formed a deep frown as my heart sank slightly.

"Ness?" I finally spoke in a low tone, turning around to see Ness curl up into a ball, shivering once more. He didn't use _the rest_ of his energy on me… right? I wanted to reach out to him, but paused in the process, looking down. What had just happened? Where exactly were we in Winters? I looked up to Ness again, whom started to rub his arms again. I sighed.

Standing up while sacrificing my own coat, I quickly draped it around Ness's shoulders before plopping down right next to him to sling my arm around him, sort of flushing in the process, but mainly from the cold. My eyes looked the opposite way, but I could see and feel Ness from the corner of my eye react from my close presence. I wondered how long we were going to be here for.

"So… what now?" I finally asked. Ness was unresponsive at first. I turned to him, only to find his head buried again, holding his sound stone close to him.

Ness responded with a shrug. I frowned at this. I always hated it when he became like this. I tried refraining myself from getting frustrated in advance.

"So, how many times have you saved my ass now? Five… ten?" I asked. Ness ducked his head further. I sighed.

"Ness… thank you for saving me again. But… that energy used to heal me… that wasn't the last bit of it, was it?" I asked, bringing my arm to myself. I felt it was a long pause, but when he responded, his voice was hoarse and sick again, just like before. Maybe even worse.

"I'm… sorry…" He told me. My shoulders slouched even further. So if that was the last of his energy… then what were we supposed to do now?

"Ness… either way, we can't stay here. No matter how much left we can heal ourselves, getting back to Fourside is much more important right now," I told him. Ness poked his head up slightly, to look at me. I realized how weak he was at that point, and it almost stabbed me, just slightly. My mind quickly flashed to that man as my insides twisted.

"Did he do anything to you?" I quickly added. Ness shook his head slowly.

"No…"

"Really now?" Ness nodded, looking down to the snow again, burying his nose. I finally stood up.

"I don't believe you," I told him. "You sounded really pissed when you saw him… so my bet is that the two of you once knew each other. But now's not the time to dive into that. We should try finding clues or do what we can to get back to Paula and Kato," I said, looking around us.

Nothing but trees. No trails. Nothing that I have or haven't seen before. We really were lost.

"I don't think… I don't think I can go anywhere right now…" Ness finally muttered. I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"What do you mean you can't go anywhere?" I asked, trying to make my voice less harsh. I could tell that Ness sensed the slight annoyance in my voice.

"Just… I can't. I'm too weak…" He replied. I slapped my forehead.

"That didn't stop you when we were out looking for Paula. And now her and that half-bald freak are miles away from us. _And you just want to sit here and freeze your ass off?"_ I crossed my arms. Ness kept his entire face from me and said nothing.

"Ness… I can't say I know what it's like to go through… _that._ I didn't forget what you said back then… how you were afraid of your powers. I didn't think that they would have taken control of you if you didn't watch yourself! Nonetheless, you never told me!" Ness exhaled.

"I could have killed you…" Ness went on. I shook my head.

"You weren't going to kill me. I don't die easily, and neither do you," I told him. Ness seemed to hug his knees closer to him.

"… I'm tired Jeff… can we just stay here for a while?" Ness asked. As much as I could have given into his little weak plea, I squeezed my fists.

"_No…_ we can't stay here. We have to get back _now_," I said. Ness let off a whine in protest.

"No… I'm afraid…"

_"Afraid of what?"_ I asked. Ness paused for a while. I sighed.

"I don't know…"

_"Yes you do_. You don't want to tell me. I don't need to know, just get up. We'll go to my father's lab if we fucking have to, even if it's the last thing I want to do, but I'll do it to live," I said. Finally, after I could hear the chatter of his teeth, he held it out. His stone.

_That's right… the sound stone. _

I wasn't sure what to say right then… or what the right thing to say was. Ness brought the sound stone back close to him again, and when I got a glimpse of his eyes I noticed a gleam.

He was crying again. And I could hear the sniffle in his breathing.

"Ness…" I muttered, placing my forehead into my palm. "Stop crying." I had just about had it with this. Looking down at him again, he did the opposite as he dug his forehead into his knees. If I had let him stay like this, he might have been able to clean my coat with his own tears. I bit the inside of my lip.

_"Stop crying…"_ I said again. Yet he still went on. I let off a staggered breath. I must have sounded extremely peeved at the moment, but for some reason, I didn't seem to regret it. And about a minute later as he kept crying, he shook his head in his knees. I blew out my cheeks.

_"Stop… __**crying!**__"_ I yelled. _"Crying isn't going to solve the problem Ness, it never does and it never will!" _I spat. Ness flinched from what I said. I kept going.

"By staying here and crying, you're basically saying that you've given up on _everything! How could you do that?" _I stated. "Look at how far you've come… look at how far I've come… just because of you. I've learned over my time with traveling with you that… that…" I paused for a moment, thinking of the right thing to say as Ness had already shivered from my loud spurt of words.

"…I like traveling with you. I've realized over the past few months that I wouldn't have had it any other way… I feel like all the things that I've kept bottled up my entire life is finally being released so I can move on. I like being with you and Paula… yes, I still miss my old friends, but at the same time, I've found you. … I like you, Ness. Ok? It wouldn't be a burden on me if I helped you out of your rut, I want to do that… but you have to have the will to live too," I started to shiver behind what those words actually meant to me. I wasn't sure what he was thinking after I said that, but I continued on.

"And if you want to live… if you want the fucking world to live. If you want Paula, Kato and I to live. If you want your family, your sister, your _mother_ to live… they can_. But they'll all fucking die… if you just sit here and cry!"_ My face was starting to get hot enough to melt ice. Ness had finally looked up to me with red eyes. I was sure my eyes were frightening to him at the moment.

"Don't end up like me back when you were in the hospital Ness… crying like a stupid _emo fagot _about their mommy passing away before their eyes thousands of years ago. You still have time… don't just waste it by crying in the snow like a baby…" I said, before bringing my now hot forehead to my palm once more, still glaring down at Ness. When we just stared at each other for another minute, I spat again, making him jump slightly.

_"What are you waiting for?_ Get the hell up and wipe those tears off of your face. The universe will die without you… _without you doing something about it! _So suck it up big baby, we have a universe to save." At this time, my teeth grinding was beginning to tire me out as my body shook with rage.

Finally, Ness stood onto his feet. All the while grabbing a handful of snow.

And soon my face met a hurling snowball. I blinked, looking at Ness to glare at him.

Only to find him glaring back at me with red, wet blood shot eyes. My jaw almost cracked just then.

Until a small giggle past Ness's lips. My shoulders slouched slightly. Ness of course as sick as he was still, covered his giggles with his mouth as he looked at my face again. Only to laugh harder.

What was so funny?

"What?" I asked, voice sounding strange. I think Ness laughed at that too. I frowned, now becoming grumpy.

"Whaaat? Tell me!" I demanded, as I felt the snow on my face melt. Ness started laughing.

"Your nose," He giggled.

"My… my nose?" I asked, bringing a finger to poke it.

"It was bright red, and the snow that was on it melted instantly!" He laughed. I flushed.

"Whaa…" It didn't matter, I thought as I looked away embarrassingly. Because now he was laughing.

At least he was laughing and not crying. I held out my hand to him.

"Ness…" I said. Ness looked down at my hand then to me.

"Let's figure something out. Let's get back to Fourside as soon as possible," I told him. A wide-eyed expression, Ness hesitantly lifted his hand to greet my own as I smiled. He then shivered slightly as he immediately thought to reach down to grab my coat. When he offered my coat back, I declined.

"You wear it. Let's get the hell out of here," I told him. Ness finally smiled, putting on my torn messy coat while rubbing his flushed nose with the hand holding the sound stone. And nodded.

---

About a mile in distance later of Ness and I marching in snow, I looked all around us.

"Yeah… crap, we're lost," I said. Ness frowned at me.

"But…" Ness spoke. I sighed.

"We'll figure something out. If I can just see any signs of civilization, or even the lake, we'll be golden," I said, putting my hand to my forehead in attempt to look around. Ness then tapped me on the shoulder. Turning to look towards him, he pointed in the distance.

And there was the beautiful answer to all of our problems.

_A butterfly._

I was silent at first, as the butterfly fluttered towards us, mainly to Ness as it circled his head. But instead of disappearing away, it landed gracefully on his nose.

"Umm…" Ness flinched slightly until he let off a big sneeze. The butterfly, startled, flew onto my head for a few moments.

"It… didn't do anything," Ness said.

"No, it didn't… maybe this isn't the right kind of butterfly?" I asked. Ness frowned.

"What kind of _normal_ butterflies would live up in a place called Winters where it snows all the time?" That was a bitch-slap to the face… well not in literal terms.

"Yeah… right," I replied as the butterfly landed on Ness's head. I sighed.

"Well… let's keep searching, I guess," I told him as Ness followed me closely.

About a few minutes later searching and looking around, Ness gasped. He held his head again, but slowly as if he was trying to hear something. I tilted my head.

"You alright?" I asked. A small pause.

"I lost her…" Ness spoke softly while his eyes kept shut.

"Lost who? Paula?" But he didn't respond. As much as I wanted to get him to snap out of his little trance, I didn't bother. I bit my lip after a minute.

He really did look like he was concentrating somehow. But I wasn't sure how… but as he held the sound stone to his heart again and breathed gently out of his nose, I couldn't help but think that I've seen him be like this before.

It happened a while ago, when we were back around Saturn Valley in Belch's lair. Remembering this and watching now, I blushed slightly in my deep thought again. About to look away from him, the butterfly started to glow a soft blue as it fluttered gently against the hand that held the sound stone. Ness's eyes fluttered open slightly, to open up his palm to reveal the sound stone.

I was astonished. When the butterfly went to sit on the stone delicately, it started to glow a soft purple. It was then that I could feel that flow of energy around us again. And in a matter of moments, the butterfly started to flutter around his head and disappeared like a fading ghost.

…

And then suddenly, Ness groaned once more, shaking violently as he grabbed his head. My eyes widened as he started to tumble.

_"Ness!"_ I lunged after him to catch him before he made a nasty tumble into the snow. Turning him around quickly to let the back of his head rest on my knee, my body shivered as I saw that his eyes were shut again. I cursed under my breath.

"Ness god damn it, stop passing out on me!" I ranted to myself, bringing my hand to lightly slap his cheek.

Ness, in a couple moments opened them, and with that, I sighed in relief.

"Ness, never do that again," I spoke, caressing my forehead. Ness's chest rose and fell slowly.

"I'm sorry… I'm really weak right now like I said… but… I think I can get us back to Fourside… let me collect my thoughts for a moment," He spoke softly. I frowned, looking down to him. Worryingly. Ness's eyes closed as I saw a snowflake land and melt on his cheek. When my knee started to burn from the blistering snow below us, my heart stammered from the weird position we were in at the moment. I couldn't think of any other day that I've had this many close encounters with him… it was almost making me nauseous.

"Ness…"

"Hmmm?" I bit my lip.

"You can collect your thoughts while you stand, right?" I asked, voice sounding awkward. And then a moment of silence.

"Hmmmm… I like it here…" He replied, bringing his hand with the sound stone to his heart again.

"It's… really cold…" He said again, clearing his throat and sniffing in mid sentence. It didn't quite dawn on me still that he had been decently sick this entire time. And when I finally thought about it, I slowly brought my hand to brush his bangs out of his forehead and planted it there.

…_!_

"Ness… you're burning…" I said. Ness tried opening an eye up to me.

"Really? That can't be good…" He said. Before I was about to take my hand away, Ness halted my movement by holding it down with his free arm, keeping mine softly plastered to his forehead. My heart skipped a beat as he smiled.

"_You're warm…"_

_"Ness."_

"_And your heart beat… feels nice too…"_

And with that, I kept silent, hoping that this would help him think faster about what to do next. Ness's cheeks were now a tinge of pink, I noticed, when moments ago, they seemed pale enough to glow from the snow. As another puff of steam came from his nostrils, he slowly let go of my hand.

"I think… I think I know what to do now…" He told me. I sighed in relief.

"Good. Let me help you up then," I told him, trying to cut to the point without sounding harsh about it.

"Jeff?"

"Hmm?" Looking down to Ness again, he looked up at me with those violet eyes of his.

"Thanks… for letting me listen to you," He said. I raised my eyebrow at his remark. I wasn't sure what he meant, but it still made me feel more blood rush to my cheeks again.

"Yeah…" I said, looking away as I helped him to his feet. He almost stumbled a bit, but by keeping his body propped up with my sleeve, he caught is balance again.

"You're really off-kilter right now," I said. "Are you sure you can teleport us safely? You are starting to sound less aware of reality right now." Ness however nodded.

"In the long run, that'll be a good thing for me," He said. Yet another confusing remark. But I chose to ignore it.

"When we find Kato and Paula, you're going right back to the hotel to wash up and go to bed until you fully recover from this weird sickness you have," I ordered him. Ness frowned.

"But…"

"But what Ness? You've been worrying all of us, I don't want you to end up in a hospital again," I told him. The word 'hospital' seemed to send shivers down his spine.

"Never mind…" He frowned. I shook my head. Obviously there was something else.

"Okay… I think I'm ready… as long as I have the sound stone, I'll be ok," He said. I nodded.

"Alright… take your time on this," I replied. For about a minute, the both of us stood there, hand in hand, until finally, he started to take the lead, walking at first.

And sooner than later, my eyelids were stretched to the back of my head as we finally descended out of Winters.

_Anywhere_ but Winters, I thought.

---

_This first school year with Ness was boring, but at the same time, it was the best school year I could have ever had. While I was normal at least._

_ Not too long later, it was Tracy that started going to school as well, and of course she was in preschool at the time. Or so she was, before the school year ended. It went by fast now that I think of it, but by that time it was nice and slow. And that was a really good thing._

_ Over the year, Ness had made the most friends of course. Picky, you remember a time when Ness was a popular kid at school, right?_

_ Well he really was. It was easy to see why._

_ But he was still my only friend. Yeah I was friendly with Paula as well but it was Ness and I that made memories in each other's notebooks. I wonder where mine is…_

_ Tracy's birthday was in the first week of June, one of the best weeks of the entire year, at least to a child's eyes. And for once I was invited to a birthday party. _

_ Something I've never really had._

_ Well yeah, I got all the cake I wanted and some nice stuff, but it wasn't like it was a party. Not like this party at least._

_ I felt really special to find out that Ness chose me to be the one friend he was allowed to invite to her birthday. _

_ "So you're Pokey?" The man of the house asked me. It was one of the few times I was able to even speak to the man one on one. I could only nod though. Ness's father chuckled._

_ "Ness has told me all about you and some of his other friends. I'm glad to finally speak to you," He smiled, looking down to me. I shied slightly, looking the other way. He could tell how uncomfortable I became._

_ "He really loves to doodle with you. He's never really drawn that much until you became his friend. You can find a lot of the doodles he's drawn on his own on the refrigerator," He continued. I smiled to him, but I still kept quiet for some reason. Ness's father seemed different though. I was more comfortable._

_ "Hey… don't be afraid to tell me anything. I know how hard it is to talk with your father haha… working for him and all, he's not easy sometimes. Go and have some fun with my son, Pokey," His dad smiled, ruffling my hair back out of my eyes and scratching my head lightly. He smiled before taking off again to help his wife in the kitchen._

_ "Pokey!" Ness cheered, tackling me from behind as I stumbled slightly. In response, I punched his shoulder and then grabbed his shoulders and rubbed his scalp with my fist._

_ "You can't take me down that easily!" I playfully taunted back at him as Ness giggled._

_ "Nooo, you're too squishy!" He laughed._

_ "Hah, told you!" I replied. _

_ "I gotta get my new yo-yo upstairs, wait downstairs," Ness told me rushing upstairs excitedly. As more and more parents came to drop off their daughters and a couple boys Tracy's age, I tried merging away from the growing crowd, and the growing pile of presents. And I eventually moved into the kitchen. Ness seemed to be taking a long time up in his bedroom, I thought._

_ And sooner or later I finally confronted the refrigerator._

_ And I saw Ness's doodles._

_ Most of them I've seen. There was of course, his portrait of King as a super-dog shooting lasers out of his eyes while flying over the city to battle an evil… cat thing. And then his own portrait of the creature I created a while back, you remember Picky, the pink one with the wings._

_ But the one on the door was new to me._

_ It was a picture of Ness's family. Ness, Tracy, their father, Debbie, King…_

_ And me…_

_ Smiling like a happy family._

---

After the huge catapult that took us from Winters back to Fourside, the first thing I noticed was that we were headed towards mountains and mountains of junk. And what was worse was that once we had finally started to slow down, Ness's hand slipped from mine.

"Ness!" I hollered as he flew away from me. I widened my eyes as I was about to tumble to the ground with a big bang.

The rolling on the gadget manifested dirt scraped and cut my skin, tumbling to a halt as I lied there hissing at the new stinging sensation on my skin. Realizing that, my glasses had finally lost my face, I cursed under my breath, getting to my knees to feel around me.

"Hehe… look what we got here," I heard a sneering voice say in the distance.

_Shit…_

"Haha, look at him… he must be lost," Another one said. I bit my lip. _Where were those glasses?!_ It just so happened that at this very moment, a familiar voice echoed in my mind.

_"Jeff… Jeff can you hear me?"_ Paula spoke. I gritted my teeth.

"Paula, there you are! I've-"

"_Did you find Ness yet?"_ She asked in a panic. I growled.

"Yes and no, he was just with me and now I'm trying to find my glasses," I said out loud. I knew Paula didn't like the sound of that.

_"Do you think he's around you?"_ She asked.

"Most likely if I hurry and find my dang glasses!" I cursed as I heard more unwelcoming men around me.

"Look at this pathetic kid, talking to himself!" The man snickered.

_"I found Kato so we're on our way to find the two of you,"_ Paula continued. _"Do you know where you are?" _She asked. I bit my lip as the snickering grew louder.

"I think we're in the junk yard in the back of the city, do you know where that is? Anyways, I can't seem to find them, this is bad. Try contacting Ness, he really needs to hear you right now," I told her as my hand felt something metallic and scratchy before feeling the edge of an eye lens.

"Does this kid have a built in walky-talky or something?" The creepy man said approaching me as I slipped on my glasses. And once I did, I wanted to get up and run away as I saw two grubby non civilized men walking up to me snickering. But when my hand went back down to the ground to push myself onto my feet, I could feel my hand land on that unknown object again as my hand landed on and pushed down a sort of lever.

Suddenly, the back of my hairs sprung up as a gigantic beam shot out of the object, firing towards the two men that had been approaching me, only to be fleeing from me moments after. My mind went into a complete blank state as I saw smoke waft from the tube-like object that I had accidentally touched. I bit my lip, wiping the dirt off of the dark blue letters on its side. My eyebrows went up.

_Bazooka 300_… I thought. Curiosity welled up inside me as I tried picking up the decently large thing with a leather shoulder strap attached to it. My mouth curved up slightly.

_How convenient,_ I thought.

_"Jeff!"_ I heard Ness yell in the distance. Eyes snapping back to reality again, my heart skipped a beat.

_"Ness?!"_ I replied, quickly draping the bazooka behind my back like a one-strapped back pack and took off around one of the piles of junk. Keeping my ears alert through the maze of tempting junk, I heard another holler for my name.

_"Jeff!"_ Ness yelled out again. I bit my lip, hoping that he wasn't in any more trouble. Taking a couple more turns through piles of junk however, I froze while I heard another holler for my name.

A good few yards in front of me was the same taxi that I saw a few hours back. And even if it was off, I could only stand still, feeling the chilling unwelcoming message up my spine. Shivering, I took a few steps back before slowly taking the other turn to my left. It was just like that man before… I felt like I was being followed.

When I saw what looked to be a dog with the furs on its back erect, it was growling at something. And as I emerged closer, I could see what it was.

Ness seemed to be stuck under a bunch of old car rubble, the sound stone just inches away from his fingertips as he tried getting out of the position he was in, but the large piece of trash kept him pinned to the ground.

"Ness!" I exclaimed, running up to him, only to be halted when the large pit bull spotted my movement and started barking angrily at me as strings of drool sapped from its teeth. I growled back.

"Easy dog… I know we aren't supposed to be here," I told it trying to step forward, only to anger it even more. I sighed in defeat. Well not really.

Stomping forward, the dog jumped slightly but in response inched closer as it barked again. And so I did what an idiot would probably do.

I glared at it in the eye.

And suddenly the dog ran off whimpering. I smiled inwardly. _Well that was cool,_ I thought.

_"Jeff… help me,"_ Ness whimpered slightly. Rushing to Ness, I knelt down to his level, where his nose had been bleeding slightly and his dirty arm was outstretched, I guessed to try and reach for the sound stone. Ness's eyes were squeezed shut, as I examined the thing that had kept him down. It almost looked like the hood of a car or the trunk of one, but it was bigger than an ordinary one. I frowned, kneeling down to Ness again, whom had been crying again. I frowned in sympathy as I gently picked the stone up and placed it in his hand, holding it for a few moments.

"I'm sorry…" I told him in a gentle voice. "I'll get you out of this mess." Standing back up, I gulped slightly. I really hoped that I wasn't about to make an even bigger mess. Dropping the bazooka off of my back, I grabbed the edge of the giant rubble and tried lifting up, with all my strength.

_And man, was it heavy how it was leaning… _

"Ness… if you feel like you can crawl out, do it. _I don't… know… if I can… lift this all the way,"_ I spoke while gasping and struggling.

_"Jeff…"_ Ness mumbled as I could feel the blood rush to my head again as my arms shook from the struggle. Using my shoulder, I tried taking some of the weight off of my arms as they were getting too weak, digging my heels into the ground as I kept pushing.

"_Ness…_ _listen…"_ I said, looking down to him as I tried lifting with my arms again.

"I don't know what exactly happened to you before… or what Pokey has done to you, or why your powers scare you… but… I don't like seeing you hurt or sad… and… I-" I hissed, squeezing my eyes as I felt one of my muscles give way.

_"Ahh…_ this is really heavy…" I spoke, looking down to Ness, who looked at me with this sad expression I couldn't quite read very well. But as I could feel the rubble shift slightly, Ness seemed to gasp a little as he attempted crawling out.

When he was finally able to get himself out and get himself a good distance away from the rubble that imprisoned him, I let my arms let go as I stumbled back a couple of feet before collapsing to the ground to catch my breath as the rubble fell to the ground with a thud along with some smaller junk. I rubbed my arms, feeling their strength already gone. Man it sucked being just a regular human, I thought…

"_But you aren't a regular human_," the other part of my mind spoke.

"Jeff, are you ok?" Ness spoke with his sick sounding voice kneeling down next to me. I rubbed off his question.

"Forget about me, are you okay?" I asked instantly, taking in another gasp of breath. "You scared me again haha…" Ness frowned.

"I didn't mean to…"

"No… it wasn't your fault. Besides… we're back, right?" I smiled to him. Ness's face was dirty and already blood written as he looked back to me with a slightly surprised unfocused look. I couldn't help myself as my eyes kept eyeing that small trail of blood from his nose as I licked my own thumb to wipe the blood off of his face. Ness looked away, a tinge of pink decorating his cheeks. I smiled softly.

"Can you walk?" I asked. Ness bit his lip, nodding without looking at me.

"That's good," I said, standing up and dusting off my pants before grabbing that new item I had picked up before.

"Jeff?"

"Hmmm?"

"… What did you want to tell me before?" Ness asked. I exhaled slightly then.

But it was then that I heard the sound of an engine igniting itself.

"Ness…" I held my hand down to him.

"I'll tell you when we get out of here… I don't think we're wanted here," I told him, voice not sounding like myself. Ness at fist paused for a moment, studying what I really meant, only to comply seconds later, taking my hand without saying a word. It was good timing…

"Hey, I think there's a couple ratty kids here."

"Yeah, let's get em and teach em no to trespass into our private property." Ness and I looked at each other with wide eyes.

And we started running again.

Still holding hands.

---

_"Pokey!" Ness said, poking me in the back. Flinching, I turned around._

_ "Ouuuch that hurt!" I replied. Ness smiled his silly toothy grin. At this age, he had already lost 3 of his baby teeth._

_ "Hehe, sorry. Behold!" He said, holding out his beloved red yo-yo._

_ "Learn any new tricks on it yet?" I asked. Ness snickered._

_ "That's what I'm about ta show ya," He replied, poking his finger through the loop and letting his yo-yo go and stay close to the ground. And as he tried doing his trick, he failed. Twice. But the third time he got it._

_ "Woah, let me do that," I said, trying the trick out myself. I failed four times. Ness laughed._

_ "It takes practice, doesn't it?" He said._

_ "You could say that," I replied._

_ "Alright everyone, cake time!" Debbie announced. Ness threw a punch in the air._

_ "Yes, cake!" He cheered as everyone gathered around the table._

_ "The birthday was so typical, but at the same time it was new to me. I wasn't used to a big crowd around the table waiting for cake. Tracy had just turned five this year, which meant that Ness was still six years old and I had turned eight the previous year._

_ Her presents of course consisted of girly things that neither Ness nor I were really interested in, which included some ponies and a castle set. But it was after presents that everyone was excited for. When it was finally dark outside._

_ "Look, fireflies!" One of the girls cheered as she peered out of the back sliding door. And with that, everyone migrated outside._

_ One of the girls cried when Tracy showed them a firefly up close. But Ness and I were having too much fun as we caught as many as we could, putting them in clear jars with holes in them, only to let them free when the night was over._

_ Eventually Ness was apart from me, on the other side of the yard. It was then that I saw Ness truly mesmerized for the first time, putting his hands up to greet the glowing bug that fluttered in front of him._

_ Except this bug wasn't a firefly…_

_ The butterfly, in which shown a soft blue; circled around his head as he closed his eyes. And after that, the butterfly flew into the sky._

_ And disappeared._

_ And you want to know what was the most mysterious of this moment?_

_ "Ness, what are you doing? You look silly there with your hands out with your eyes closed," Tracy giggled. Ness looked at her while cocking his head._

_ "You didn't see it?" He asked._

_ "See what?" _

---

Déjà vu hit me as Ness and I still held hands, rushing up to city grounds and streets as some of the passer-bys gave us strange glances. And for some reason, I couldn't stop running away as the nervous sensation arose in my chest. And when we got to a fairly quiet street, I could start feeling Ness's fingers slip from mine.

_"Hah… ha… Jeff wait…" _Ness gasped behind me. I bit my lip.

"We need to hurry-" I turned around to him.

Ness however did not look like he wanted to be in a hurry from what I could tell. Resting his palms clumsily on his knees, Ness's face was flushed and tired as he took in strangled breaths through his throat.

_"I… can't… breathe…"_ Ness's words were cut off as he tried inhaling. And when he started to cough as well, my mind automatically ranted at me.

_"Ness is sick you fucking idiot! How could you make him run like that in this critical condition he's in? You don't know where Paula or Kato are so why are you in such a huge rush?!"_ My mind screamed at me. Ness's hacking got worse as I wanted to reach out to him. But I wasn't sure what the right thing to do was at the moment.

"Ness… Ness, _easy…"_ I spoke nervously, instinctively reaching out to touch his forehead again, which was still a flare and shimmered from a layer of sweat. I bit my lip as his coughs became softer but he still gasped for breath.

The air of Fourside probably wasn't the cleanest of air he could breathe in either, I thought, trying to rub his back, even though it was a pretty useless motive.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, I won't do that again," I spoke nervously again. Finally after a good minute or two he was able to inhale and exhale semi-normally, still holding his knees.

"Are we… still in the… junk yard?" He asked weakly. My face went pail.

That didn't sound good at all…

"_No…_" I replied. Ness exhales were elaborated as he spoke again.

"Really?" He mumbled. I bit my lip.

"Ness, open your eyes, please, you're really scaring me right now…" I said, without thinking as I brought my hands to the sides of his head, leaning down to look at his face. A twinge of guilt plagued me looking at his pained expression. He slightly blinked, eyes roaming around us.

"Oh… we're on a street…" He said before coughing again. I let my grip on him loosen as his eyes met mine. When I was sure that his mind registered my face, his frown deepened.

"You aren't mad, are you? …I'm sorry that I'm so sluggish today… I've wrecked today's plan up…" He went on. I frowned.

"Stop saying sorry, didn't I tell you that it wasn't your fault?" I replied. Ness shivered, taking in a weak breath.

"I don't know…" I slapped my forehead.

"Well it isn't," I said.

"Hnngg…" Ness grumbled. There was a moment of silence. I sighed.

"We gotta keep moving to find Paula and Kato… I'm getting a bad feeling about this area. I'm should feel more sorry for all this than you," I said as I took his limp hand to drag him along with me. But after two steps, his hand slipped from mine. I wanted to turn around irately, but something kept me from doing so.

_"Jeff… I need to rest,"_ Ness finally spoke softly.

This was starting to become a really serious problem.

I turned around, right at the precise moment when Ness looked like he wanted to topple over. But my reflexes spoke before my mind as I caught him before his shoulders could reach the concrete.

Heart stopping, I put my hand on his forehead again. _"Stupid, you already know that he's running a fever, why don't you do something about it!" _My mind ranted again. My body started to respond by shaking. _What do I do what do I do what do I do…_

I had to take him to the hospital or something… Ness's eyes opened a slit while a couple people passed us by. Weakly, he looked up to me.

"I'll be able to move again soon… just let me rest another moment…" He spoke with his groggily voice. My eyes furrowed sympathetically.

Though this wasn't the best time, old childhood memories came to haunt my current state of mind again as I thought of the first time Tony had been bullied. Ness's eyes fluttered closed again…

"_Tony, can you walk?" I asked in a fit of panic. Tony's eyes were goggled as blood trickled from his nose and jaw._

_ "I… I can walk. Just give me a moment," He replied weakly as he leaned his head back closing his eyes. I bit my lip as he looked like he wanted to sit there for a long while. The more he sat, the more his eye and jaw reddened. I took his hand._

_ "Get on my back, I'm taking you to the nurse," I said, kneeling next to him. Tony's eyes opened again to a slit, revealing his tawny eyes to me. His mouth formed a deep frown as a tear trickled down his cheek._

_ "Jeff… buddy… I'm sorry, they won again."_

_ "It's not your fault. Get some rest, and forget about them."_

_ "Buddy…"_

Ness at this time was sitting on his knees, and I wasn't sure if he was aware that he was leaning in my arms still. He opened his eyes again.

"I think I can't get up now…" Ness spoke again before shivering. So I finally decided what I had to do. I shifted slightly, where my back was turned towards him. Slipping the bazooka off of my shoulders, I sighed.

"No… get on. You're way too weak right now," I told him bluntly.

"But…"

"No buts. Get on," I ordered. "I'm tired of seeing you suffer." I probably sounded upset rather than sympathetic, but when I saw Ness's awareness of the situation, he finally complied, weakly grabbing my shoulders as he pressed his body against my back. Blushing slightly, I hooked my arms around the back of his legs and carried them around my sides. Finally standing and finding my balance, Ness was both heavy and not heavy, until I added the weight of the bazooka on my right shoulder. And as Ness wrapped his arms across my chest, my heart skipped a beat.

"Jeff?" Ness asked.

"Hmm?" I started to walk. There was no way I could run with over a hundred pounds on my back. Ness's fingers seemed to grasp my shirt.

_"I'm scared of sleeping in the hospital… please don't take me there,"_ Ness plead. Remembering that horrid drama of the day after we lost Paula, I could see why he didn't want to stay. Still… I think there were other reasons. Reasons I may never know about, but they probably were the same as mine. Loneliness. I smiled.

"I won't take you there, I promise. I'll protect you," I replied honestly. I could hear a sniff behind my neck as his nose must have been runny again. I had a feeling that he had been crying again. The poor boy… I closed my eyes, breathing toxic air in through my nostrils as I pressed the button to cross the street. It was more noticeable at the time that it was raining. _Still…_

_"Thank you…" _

_I wished I was allowed into his heart more… _

---

My feet were becoming exhausted from the added weight on my back. But we were moving… or at least I was, even if it was at a sluggish pace. I just really hoped I wasn't going to run into anything suspicious soon. Though on the other hand, I was kind of relieved… in a sense. But I was getting sick of these streets and stop lights.

While the air got wetter and colder, my back and shoulders remained warm. Ness's arms would sometimes shift positions whenever one of his arms got tired of hanging on. Other times, he'd shift his head. And then there were times when he'd mumble something illegible to himself. And despite the weight and cute mutters escaping his lips, Ness was, in a sense, a nice coat. I shouldn't be labeling him as low as an object, but his body temperature felt rather nice against my cold damp skin…

_"Jeff, you dirty pervert,"_ my mind taunted. I flushed violently; I was sure, as that thought passed my mind. Even so, my nose finally could memorize his scent. A soft must of vanilla mixed with a hint of mowed grass… and of course the scent of the chemical build-up of the human body. But that last part was to be expected. I kind of worried, if the cold rain was making his condition worse; I wasn't sure.

_"Dad…"_ He mumbled to himself. Was he really asleep?

"_Wanna play baseball, Jeff?"_ He mumbled sleepily moments later. I smiled, at the thought of that.

If he was a nice coat for me, from his sleep talk, maybe I was a good bed for Ness?

"_Jeff, what the hell, you're weird,"_ My mind said again.

_Shut up, mind, it's hard to think logically right now_.

I had received many glances from others, even offers and questions asking if Ness was ok. Most of the time, I would just reply, "He's just sleeping." It was true, even though most of them seemed skeptical at my response, in a humorous way.

And as I turned down a block, I had almost felt like we had taken a detour… or what it seemed.

That same awkward feeling arose in my chest, the same feeling at every "place" that didn't belong to me. The wall of graffiti, still a wall of graffiti, stretched out in front of us. I slightly cringed, remembering the man sitting around the same place as Ness had sat. I sighed, keeping myself moving…

…Until Ness had tugged lightly on the front of my shirt. I paused.

_"… Here,"_ Ness mumbled in my ear.

"What about here?" I asked calmly.

"This is where we were originally headed to…" He said.

"Don't we have to go through the sewers again to get there though?" I asked. Ness grunted slightly.

"I don't feel its barrier anymore… which can only mean one thing…"

"That the rat down there is done for?" The more I thought about it, the more I could see the reasoning. The last thing that happened before we got flooded out of there was a blinding flash… a strong one at that, as I could remember its shrieks and moans.

"Jeff, please… I need to get there," He told me. I frowned.

"How?" I asked. "You gonna climb this wall all by yourself?" I asked. Ness paused for a moment.

_"Please…?"_ Ness asked again. I closed my eyes.

"First off, can you stand? Let me put you down and we'll see," I told him, lowering my arms to let his feet touch the ground. As Ness let go of me, he seemed to wobble at first, but he eventually caught his balance, as same went for me as my back felt like a feather at the time. My mouth curved down.

"I have a bad feeling," I told him looking at his condition. Ness, trying to hide the fact that he was both physically and mentally exhausted, smiled to me.

"That's because this isn't your place," He told me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Hah… right, right." Ness looked at the nonsense covered brick wall, looking up. He was so drawn to it; it was amazing, since the place did the exact opposite for me… even if it was in all honesty, harmless.

The good thing was that, the wall was climbable and tolerable, seeing a few bricks sticking out slightly along the way up. How interesting, I thought. But as I was waiting for Ness to make a move, he stayed put, just staring up at the wall.

"Want a boost?" I asked him. Ness looked at me blankly. For some reason, I took the look as a yes, even though he slightly cocked his head. Kneeling down to plant my hands together, Ness seemed surprised.

"Y-you sure?" He asked me.

"Me and my friend back in Winters had to jump plenty of walls, including the time when I had to come and save you; it's fine," I said.

"Okay…" Ness said in a low unsure voice, but complied as he stepped on my hands. At this point, Ness weight was very tolerable for me, as I lifted him up, until one of his feet stepped on a stuck out brick. As he made it to the top, he swung around and sat on top of the wall.

"Need help getting up too?" Ness asked. I cocked my head.

"Do I have to climb up too?" I asked.

_"Maaaybe,"_ Ness replied. I shook my head.

"Fine, fine," I said, starting my way up until I saw Ness's hand hang down to help me up. Tentatively grabbing it, I finally got myself up the wall as well. As we both sat on top of the fence to look to the other side, my jaw slightly dropped.

It was metallic, glittering in the shapes of pyramids and diamonds in the center of the small enclosed section of grass and litter. Despite that, there was no graffiti on the insides of the walls as everything seemed to be untouched since the barrier was put up. Even in the evening rain, the structure still looked sleek and shiny. When I looked to Ness again, I started to feel sympathetic again.

Because yet again, he was crying.

However, this time, a smile was spread across his face.

Something about this place… the place I didn't belong but he belonged… The hand that still held onto the sound stone tightened.

"Want to get down there so you can claim your prize?" I asked. Ness's glittering violet eyes, even in the rain, looked to me. He nodded.

As we got down there, the same scenario with all of the other sanctuaries took place, Ness fell into a trance as the structure had a PSIonic reaction. I started to worry, since this place was almost a PSI recovery point, what if that had a negative effect on him? Then on the other hand…

_… This was Ness's place._

Out of eight in the entire world, this was one of them. And as Ness brought the sound stone to his head and smiled, I smiled too.

He seemed happier. And I was positive that if we hadn't come, he would have been miserable until we did. Yet again, it was mesmerizing; watching him absorb the place for himself, there was something surreal about it. Something magical. Something powerful, and moving.

…Something beautiful.

As the energy stopped, Ness took some last few moments before opening his eyes. It seemed dead silent right then, as he touched the stone to his head; to his mind.

"…. Every time I find a sanctuary, I remember something. I don't know how important these memories are, but somehow they unlock new things to my being," He told me. I didn't know how to respond, but he went on.

"It's almost like a puzzle… the more pieces I collect, the more complete I feel… I don't know if that sounds silly to you or not but…"

"… I get it," I finally said. Ness looked at me with open eyes.

"You aren't as collected as Paula and Kato… I've always noticed that. Well… at least with Paula, I still don't know that much about Kato. Do you feel like you can handle PSI more every time you find a sanctuary location?" I asked. Ness took a moment to absorb what I had just said, until he looked away and smiled to himself.

"Yeah… you could say that," He replied. It wasn't the clearest answer I got, but I figured, I wasn't going to get any clearer answers than that. And yet again, Ness closed his eyes and just stood there for a moment. I let him, thinking that it was something important. I then watched over the wall as another butterfly came fluttering about the area, all until it landed in perfect symmetry on top of Ness's head. A couple moments later, Ness opened his eyes calmly.

"Paula says we should try meeting them back at the hotel," He told me with a slight smile as the butterfly landed on his ear.

"Well then, I guess we should get going-" I replied until Ness and I watched the butterfly float on over to a nearby box.

A very decorative and colorful box.

"I wonder what this is?" Ness questioned, walking over to the pretty box, placing his fingertips at the edges of the lid. Opening it, he looked in as he reached inside.

"What is it?" I asked, walking over. Ness pulled out what looked to be a small round pointy orange object. With closer examination, it looked to be a key… the shape of a carrot.

"Is this a key?" Ness asked as the butterfly landed back onto his head as he handed me the key.

"A… carrot key?" I questioned, thumbing over its shiny surface. "Well… it was at your place Ness… your call whether we keep it or not," I said.

"It's not like it weighs 20 pounds or anything, why not take it? Usually these kinds of things become helpful at some point," He said, taking the key from me. As the butterfly fluttered onto his nose and as Ness's eyes became cross-eyed to look at it, I wondered of his condition again. After that moment with his sanctuary, he looked better… but his cheeks were still flushed and his voice still sounded hoarse.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"Mmmmm… better," He replied. I smiled.

"That's good. Let's keep it that way," I replied. "How's your fever?" I asked, walking up to him to touch his forehead. At this point, Ness seemed more conscious, and the thought of me touching his forehead seemed to startle him slightly.

"Ahh, I don't have a fever, what are you talking about?" Ness spoke waving his hands before him. I ignored the gesture.

"Don't be ridiculous, I've already felt your forehead twice and it was hot enough to cook an egg," I replied, stepping close enough to him to where I could feel his forehead. At first he seemed to want to push me away, until I hushed him.

It was still unbearably warm, just as I thought. Ness let off a shaken breath, as he must have been surprised at my gesture.

"You're still running a fever Ness, we need to get you back as soon as possible," I told him, letting go of him. Ness seemed to be zoned out for a moment, keeping his eyes averted from mine as he nodded his head. I sighed, looking up at the wall again.

"Well, I guess we should get over this wall again, yeah?" I said, walking over to it, only to find that Ness didn't follow me along. I looked back as I saw Ness just staring down, in deep thought. I cocked my head.

"Are you sure you're ok? I can give you a ride if you need me to…" As nice as that might have sounded, that was, in a sense, a selfish statement. Maybe I really wanted him to say yes.

"Why have you been… so caring all the sudden…" Ness spoke softly. I frowned at him slightly.

"Why do you think?" I replied. Ness was silent for a moment.

"I don't know…" He said. I could feel a slight blush as he looked over to me with deep eyes. I looked away.

"Well… think about it. Let's get over this wall," I told him. It took him a moment before he complied, walking slowly towards me. His breath was slightly labored again. I knelt down. Ness quietly complied as I helped him over the wall. And when he helped me up as well, there was something softer about his grip. Which worried me if his sickness was acting up again on him.

When I kept my bazooka strapped to my back, trying to balance myself on the wall, I felt like I was about to topple over until Ness quickly grabbed my shoulder out of reflex. My heart skipped a beat, looking down to the ten or so feet below us.

"Don't fall now…" Ness lightly laughed. I nodded.

"Thanks," I replied. Ness seemed to shiver slightly as he brought his hands to himself again, only to accidentally lose his balance himself. Quickly responding, I did the same for him, but in the process as he tried gaining back his own balance, the sound stone slipped out of his hand and rolled onto the sidewalk.

"Ahhh…" Ness tried exclaiming.

"I'll get it," I replied, jumping down to the ground on my feet with a thud as the bazooka hit my back. Rubbing it, I walked over and picked the stone up, then went back to Ness to offer a softer landing for him. Ness seemed hesitant at first, looking down to me as the butterfly was still nestled on top of his head. The rain drops started to become more noticeable as a couple clashed against my glasses.

"Trust me," I told him again. Ness nodded slowly as he scooted himself off the edge. In return I caught him. It was just barely a second, but Ness was in my embrace again, just until he was able to register the ground below his feet. I started to notice how quiet Ness had become today, ever since I told him not to cry.

"There," I told him, handing him his rock. Ness took it and held it like he had been all day. It was just like a child clutching to their favorite teddy bear. Ness looked at me again. I always didn't know what to do except look back whenever he looked at me. Was he starting to follow my lead today?

"So… to the hotel we go," I told him. "Can you walk?" Ness bit his lip, shaking his head no slowly, but then suddenly it was a yes. I cocked my head, slightly smiling.

_Ness is so cute_, I thought.

_"He's sick,"_ My mind stated back. _"Stop having your gay admirations with him and get him to a safe place with Paula and Kato." _

"Are you sure?" I asked again. Ness finally nodded.

"Yes…" He replied. I smiled.

"Alright then. Let's get going and get ourselves out of this rain as soon as possible," I replied to him, beginning to walk as soon as he started to walk.

I was starting to feel calm again, so far, nothing horrible happened, in fact, I think both of us could agree that this day was just as much of a success as all the other days.

And it was when we passed the second block away, I could feel something brush slightly against my hand. It was subtle at first, but the second time I could feel the touch even better.

I responded by accepting Ness's hand into my own.

---

By the time that the night sky was finally starting to turn darker, Ness and I had passed the Monotolli building. Keeping my eyes ahead, I couldn't say the same for Ness as he kept looking back up at the building.

Neither of us could forget the ordeals that surrounded that building. But they were over, and we had to keep moving on and push forward. As we approached the next stoplight, I could feel Ness's hand violently rip from mine. I flipped around quickly as a man dressed in dark sweats seemed to yell at him.

"Hey kid, watch where you're going!" The man told him as he stomped his foot towards Ness, making him flinch backwards. I growled at the man as he didn't drop the subject. Slipping in front of Ness, I glared at him.

"Knock it off," I told the man. "That's _enough._" The man glared back down at me as if he was going to try and push me around as well, and he almost did, until I could see a sense of fear click into his eyes.

_My eyes_, I kept thinking. _I know how to use them now._ The man spit down to the ground, aiming for my foot but misses as he walked away, grumbling to himself.

"S-sorry, I was just-"

"Stop saying sorry, when that wasn't your fault…" I replied, taking his hand and walking again.

"But Jeff, I wasn't paying attention, he was right, so I bumped into him," He said. I rolled my eyes.

"If _he_ knew where _he_ was going, he would have avoided you if he wasn't around to cause trouble. He ran into you on purpose, just so he could pick on you for not paying attention. Get it?" I told him. Ness seemed to ponder this as I watched the butterfly flutter around our heads.

I noticed, around that time that… no one else noticed the butterfly, did they? I was right, I thought looking around at the other faces, keeping to themselves. We were the only ones that could see it. When the butterfly landed on his head again, the light said we could walk. I grabbed his hand.

"I'm out of PSI again…" Ness said, changing the subject. I grunted.

"Well yeah, you're sick from a weird fever, we went over this," I told him.

"Yeah…" Ness said. Man, did I wanted to get out of this rain, I thought. The sooner, the better.

"You can't contact Paula back, can you?" I asked.

"No…" _Dang_, I thought.

"Umm… Jeff?" Ness asked.

"Hmm?"

"… What were you trying to tell me before?" He asked curiously.

"Tell you what when?" I replied. Ness was silent again for a moment.

"… When we were in the junk yard…" He said. Oh… _that…_

"Uhh… I don't remember really," I spoke sheepishly. "It was probably the same kind of thing I told you when I wanted you to stop crying," I chuckled. However when I looked to Ness again, he had a small frown on his face, but big eyes. Something about his eyes, they were very expressive today.

"Well… even if it was really small and doesn't mean much, when you remember, can you tell me?" He asked. "I really would like to know." I flushed at that statement.

"_Cummon Jeff, just admit it already, you can't hide it from me anyways. Besides, I really think it's cute,"_ Paula spoke in my memories.

I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly, feeling my heart flutter. What _was_ I trying to tell him? I really wasn't sure if it was even that.

"Yeah… I'll let you know as soon as I remember something," I replied, biting my lip. I had a feeling right then that, in a sense, Ness saw right through me… I just hoped he didn't see _all the way_ through me.

"You almost look guilty of something… something I'm not supposed to know yet?" Ness asked in a lighter tone. My heart skipped a beat.

"Wh- what is _that_ supposed to mean?" I chuckled shamefacedly. However, a small smile crept up on his face. _Was he enjoying this?_ Ness started to walk in front of me, holding out his hand to the butterfly.

"Oh, _I don't know… _I can't know until you tell me," He playfully taunted, turning around to me and smiling. I just knew right then that hinting something on… and I was blushing like crazy.

"Yeah… like I said, I'll try to remember," I said, scratching my head. Trying to change the subject, I looked around us.

"I think we're almost there, Paula and Kato shouldn't be too far off…" I said. Ness however, was still smiling to himself about before.

"Mmmhmm," He replied. I sighed.

"Your spirits seem lighter but you do still sound pretty sick," I told him. "You're taking a nice warm bath and then it's straight to bed with you," I told him. Ness giggled to himself.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"You're just so concerned… just like a mother almost. I haven't had anyone else besides my mom and dad that care about my condition as much as you do," Ness laughed. I frowned at his statement.

"I say that, because it's true," I finally spoke, taking a hold of Ness's shoulder. Ness was slightly taken aback by my sudden gesture. Soon resting my other hand on his other shoulder I looked at him as he looked at me with a surprised wide-eyed look.

"I'm really happy that you're happy now, and that's great. But look, _you're sick._ It was part of the reason why you broke down before… when I saw you approach us while I was about to… about to die… I was so scared. Not for my life but for you… you had no control over yourself and when you finally let go of all of your energy and when we were in Winters because of it… you gave the rest of your energy to me, when I probably wasn't even worth it… And now it's like you're laughing it off like it's no big deal… Ness, if something really bad were to happen to you and if I couldn't do anything to prevent it, I don't think I would be able to forgive myself… you really scared me back there…" I told him, looking into his eyes again. Ness finally looked a bit more serious then, gazing back to me, as if he were trying to read what was going through my mind right then.

"Jeff…" Ness muttered. _"I'm…"_

_Don't say sorry… sn'ot your fault…_ I wanted to say again, like I told everyone else. However, the both of us were silent again, in the rain, looking into each other's eyes. There were many things I wanted to do right then… many things I wanted to tell him. But… I couldn't speak, for Ness's eyes were all I could focus on. If only I could communicate my deepest thoughts to him through just a gaze… And then my heart fluttered again, as both of us seemed to inch closer…

…

_Ftstfstfstt…. Vroooomm…_

My eyes slowly started to widen in fear. Ness seemed to react quickly to my expression.

"…Jeff?" Ness asked. My heart started to sink slightly. I quickly grabbed his hand.

"We need to get going, _now,"_ I stated to him, voice cracking in mid sentence.

"Wh- yeah I know, but, did something happen? Jeff please _say_ something," Ness replied. _Just keep calm Jeff, keep calm keep calm…_

How stupid was I? This street was pretty empty, I should have known not to pick any streets to go down that were _empty!_ But when we made it to the end of the street, Ness and I looked back.

And sure enough, at the other end where we once were, a lone taxi sat. Right in the middle of the street. Ness exhaled.

"Huh, that's weird… when did that taxi get here? I wonder if-" I grabbed his hand again, but this time I started to run.

"Run. _Now."_ I ordered, and soon enough the headlights lit up to spot us. I knew deep inside that Ness didn't want to do anymore running, but god damn it, _that taxi._

"Jeff, _why is the taxi chasing us?!"_ Ness started to panic.

"Just keep calm and follow me!" I told him, as we dashed by the museum. Soon enough, the car was roaring after us.

_"Jeff, we can't outrun a car!"_ Ness told me. Well duh.

"We have to outsmart it! Cars might be faster but they can't maneuver very flexibly like we can!" I replied. Ness gasped from all the running.

"And how do we do _that?!"_ He asked as we turned a corner.

"Huff huff… at the end of this road, we'll split off to opposite sides of the road, you go that way and I'll go this way, but hurry before it turns the corner!" I told him picking up the pace but making sure that Ness wasn't falling behind. As we made it to the end, I dashed to my brick wall and hid myself while Ness seemed to just barely make his chance, clasping his back against the brick wall and panting like crazy. Well we both were…

And suddenly it fell silent again, but I could have sworn that I heard the motor still running. It was waiting for us to appear again. I tried whispering to Ness, or gesturing to him, "I'll go this way and you'll go that way," I told him. However, Ness shook his head, as he clutched his chest, his face pained as he tried breathing properly again. Shit, I thought. I peered over my corner carefully. I couldn't see any headlights on the wet ground surface from where we were standing so maybe… possibly…

The taxi was gone. And while I sighed in relief, something on the inside of me cringed slightly. I had a feeling that it didn't matter and we'd run into it again. Double checking, I dashed over to Ness's side.

"Ness, I'm so sorry…" I told him, holding his shoulders as he caught his labored breath.

"It's… not your fault… huff…" Ness gasped. I shivered slightly.

"Where are we?" I looked around. From what I could tell, we seemed to have taken a detour once we hit the street between the museum and the Topolla theater. I sighed.

"Ok, can you walk at least?" I asked Ness. Ness nodded with a shiver.

"I'll do it to live," He told me. I took a moment to absorb those words from him, wanting to smile but the situation wouldn't let me. Still I took his hand and we descended down the rest of the street.

"If we take this path, we should run into Jackie's Café… it's on the same street as the hotel we're staying at," I told him. Ness could only grunt slightly.

"That thing… is it trying to kill us?" Ness asked with slight fear in his voice. I sighed.

"Well Ness, let's recap. What, in technical terms, that would actually go so far to chase us wouldn't have had the urge to kill us? The chosen ones?" I asked him.

"Ohh…" Ness's voice shook. "There's no one around on these streets, is that normal?" Ness asked.

"I don't think so Ness, I don't think so…" I replied, as we cut across the street to look around the corners. It was really starting to bug me; Ness's labored breath from all the downtown exercise. I started to wonder if we could really get back ok, without any detours or anything.

"I think it gave up," Ness said.

"I really doubt that," I replied as we approached the edge of the wall of Jackie's Café. We could go into the Café, I thought. Until more people in the streets showed up. As we peered over the corner however, there was a sign by the door:

_Jackie's Café- under re-modeling construction. Closes at 6 until given date._ Terrific. Ness tugged on my sleeve. I shivered, looking behind us.

And sure enough, it was quiet enough, quiet enough to hear the roaring engine approaching us from afar. We looked at each other, before dashing off again, down the street, all until the taxi cab made a sharp turn onto our street, right ahead of us. Ness and I slid on our heels to a stop.

"_Shit,"_ I swore out loud, as the three of us just stood there, listening to the running motor of the car.

"What do we do?" Ness asked.

"I don't know…" I replied. I would have told him for us to split up, but Ness wasn't physically strong enough at the time, despite him saying to himself that he'd move to live for him to run by himself in another direction. What would have been the consequences if, we did split off, for us to find each other quickly and safely enough? And what if, if I had to end up carrying Ness to save our hides, I wasn't strong enough to support all of our weight?

We were utterly screwed.

I could tell Ness to just sit on the sidelines and me face the taxi off all by myself, but what were the odds of the taxi just wanting to kill me? Wouldn't Ness be an easier target?

I flinched as the car roared its engine again, like a tiger, warding off its enemy. Ness seemed to have a larger reaction as he almost jumped.

"I… I could distract it maybe," Ness told me.

"Are you nuts? I'm not letting you do that," I replied. Ness's grip tightened.

"But what else can we do? How can we defeat a car?" He asked. I exhaled through my nose.

The car was awaiting our next move.

"This is scary…" Ness winced.

"It can't be any scarier than Giygas or what you…" I cut myself off. Ness had no response.

"Ok… so far it hasn't done anything," I told him.

"But it _will_ do something," Ness replied. I growled in frustration. _What to do…_

"Jeff… I'm going to go this way," Ness told me.

"No," I replied.

"There's two of us, the car can only choose one of us," Ness said.

"But what if it chooses to go after you?! Don't even think about it," I told him again. Ness exhaled.

"Well if we're together, it can get both of us," He told me. I bit my lip. The engine roared again.

And then suddenly Ness started to run.

"Ness!" I yelled, instinctively running after him. And as expected, the car started up again and lunged towards us.

"Jeff, go the other way!" Ness gasped at me, voice cracking horribly in the process.

"You'll tire yourself out, you idiot!" I replied, until I knew what he sort of meant.

When the car seemed to choose me as its prey, I stood for a moment, in front a wall as the car accelerated towards me. As soon as it could have hit me, I jumped out of the way, watching the car, nearly crashing into the wall, right before it swiftly gained control as it steered itself sharply down the sidewalk. At this point, I felt the bazooka weighing me down. Burnt rubber flared from its tires as it tried turning around. Standing up as fast as I could, I shakily grabbed the bazooka to fire a beam at one of its tires.

... _vrooooooo- click click click. _I kept flipping the switch.

… it stopped working. _Shit_.

Throwing the bazooka aside, I ran for my life, looking down the street where Ness was catching his breath. Bad news as I heard the car quickly approaching behind me.

"Ness!" I yelled, looking back quickly over my shoulder as I dodged out of the way. The car however, zoomed past me as he now seemed locked onto Ness. My heart skipped a beat.

Ness looked tired again, but when he spotted the taxi coming towards him, he tried running towards and around the car, hoping that once the car was set in one direction, he would get out of that way. Ness you risky bastard! I was darting towards them, as the taxi sped past Ness, but the dodge made Ness fall down onto his stomach violently, making it hard for him to recover.

As I made it to him, the car had skidded to a violent stop down into a tight corner. Where were all the people inside of the buildings? I thought to myself. Helping Ness up on his feet as he wobbled, I caught Ness again as he tried keeping his balance, but as the car was starting to maneuver back into control again, I quickly ushered Ness onto my back as I ran for our lives again.

Ness was panting again as was I as the car raced again after us. Knowing for sure that I couldn't out run it, my palms turned sweaty.

_"Jeff!"_ Ness exclaimed as he looked behind us. I could only think of dodging, the only thing I could do. And as we ran past Jackie's Café again, I noticed the alley way next door, and before the car could barely reach us, I slipped us past the alley walls as the taxi cab flew right by.

"Jeff, we have to get out of this alley way!" Ness huffed into my ear. I shivered, as I was about to dash out again.

Until I noticed the car had made a u-turn and was about to sandwich us between the wall and it. All I could think at the time was slip back into the alley way as it crashed into the wall before it. I literally tumbled back, almost falling off kilter.

"Oh no," I said out loud, heart sinking.

We were trapped now.

The taxi, putting itself in reverse, situated itself to face us so it could get a good charge at us down the alley. I started to shiver in fear, feeling as if I had let us down, let Ness down. Ness squeezed my shoulders.

"Jeff," Ness spoke in a low scared tone. My name seemed to be the only thing he could say tonight, and it really scared me. It kept reminding me that, he depended on me. And I failed.

"We're not dying here," I growled at him, with an unsure tone behind those words as the car roared again into drive.

And accelerated down the alley.

Our grips, tighter than ever… bracing for the make it or break it moment.

_Sling! _

It was barely noticeable, as the car seemed to rumble off of its track, all until an older boy, dressed in those foreign clothing swiftly jumped down, and literally put his hands on the bumper of the taxi, pushing back, and countering its force.

Ness and I were taken aback, watching him literally saving our skins as their weight slowly shifted towards us, all until his strength overpowered the car and made it to a stop, right in front of Ness and I.

_"K-Kato?"_ I questioned.

Kato looked back at us, and smirked, as his body shook from the mere force of the large object. Ness and I could feel another wave of energy, not around us but around Kato, as he literally growled to himself.

_"You two hurry, and get out of here,"_ Kato ordered us. After a small pause looking at Kato's unbelievable strength, I nodded sheepishly as I slipped Ness and I past him and the taxi, running out of the alley way.

"Jeff, Ness!" Paula exclaimed seeing us. "Stay clear!" She told us, pointing at a safe distance. I nodded immediately, getting ourselves out of the way. From my perspective, after Kato dashed out of the alleyways with his sword as a few scraps of metal followed him, Paula unleashed a mixture of fire and ice PSI attacks into the alley, controlling it in a way that would only affect her target, and not what was around it, at least not to a destructing degree.

A small explosion, as smoke and debris flew out of the alley way. Kato twirled around to face the action down the alley way as the both of them braced, observing if the taxi was really down or not. I put Ness down.

"Stay here," I ordered him.

"But-"

"Jeff, your hyper beam," Kato said, digging it out of his back pouch and tossing it towards me. Fumbling at first, I caught it, very sloppily. But knowing that, a working weapon was back in my hands again, it was a great feeling, as I waited with them. And soon enough, the car, on fire, blazed out of the alley way. The three of us attacked, Paula and Kato used the same kind of ice attacks while I fired my hyper beam, trying to aim for its tires if I could. The car skidded to its side, as it charged again, past us, as I dashed again, after the car.

_"Ness, out of the way!"_ I told him as Ness noticed the car charging towards him, only registering the information a little slower than usual. Ness wanted to dash towards me in response. It was good timing, as Kato transported himself to the front of the car, bringing his hands out to steer the car off into a different direction. At the same time, Paula fired another PSI attack making the car flip in response, the opposite way of Ness and I. Ness nearly tripped in the process, and my reflex caught him, so he wouldn't make a nasty topple down to the ground again. Ness and I shivered again, at that small moment that we were in close contact again, keeping him away from that car as we all watched it pathetically lie on its back, spinning its already flat and damaged wheels. Paula and Kato together, shared the final blow, destroying the entire hood of the car, until the angry taxi was beyond repair.

And finally it was the end of that angry possessed car. Ness and I sighed in relief, watching the steam and smoke rise from the pile of rubble.

"You two ok?" Kato finally asked, after letting his guard down. Ness and I nodded sheepishly.

"Only because you two came in and rescued us…" I replied, placing my forehead into my palm. How embarrassing of me, I thought… Paula and Kato walked up to us, Paula smiling to the both of us, but keeping her distance. Kato looked back at the car, scratching his head.

"I suppose I can't just leave this here…" Kato said. "Be right back," he spoke as he ran, swiftly, around the taxi, until the both of them were gone in a flash. I frowned.

"So… if Kato could teleport all this time… couldn't you guys just have found us anywhere in the blink of an eye…?" I asked.

"Well, we had to find out where exactly we were… and where you were too… we kinda ran into our own trouble finding ourselves here too," Paula laughed. _Hmmm,_ I thought.

"Communication problems, yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah…" Paula replied.

"It was probably my fault…" Ness replied with his weak hoarse voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Why would something like that be your fault?" I asked. Ness inhaled weakly.

"Because… it's hard for me to accept any form of PSI right now… and while Paula can use telepathy to her heart's desire, I can only guess that I blocked all of her messages from reaching us… I'm sorry," Ness spoke quietly.

"And you couldn't contact me either?" I asked Paula. Paula shook her head no.

"We were holding… yeah… so my sickness blocked her messages from you too," Ness replied. I was confused.

"And since you couldn't talk to us… you couldn't know where we were, so you couldn't find us. I get it," I replied. Paula smiled. Sooner than later, Kato came rushing back, with a small gust of wind. As his speed settled down, he walked up to us, as I watched his long braid sway behind him.

"So… this was an interesting day," Kato commented. Ness smiled slightly, before coughing again, only this time violently.

"Ness!" His coughs always worried me for some reason, as I patted his back. However, Paula and Kato both kept their distance.

"Ness needs a lot of rest and quiet," Kato said. "He needs plenty of time away from the world to recover," He said. Ness's hacks got calmer, as he cleared his throat, as I rubbed his back.

"I'm ok… I got the melody I needed after all today… thanks to you," Ness spoke, looking at me smiling. I could only chuckle.

"It's… you're welcome," I ended up saying. "It was the least I could do." Paula smile deepened, which made me nervous.

"However..." Kato continued.

"Your sickness troubles all of us," Kato continued. "The only problem is that, since your sickness is PSI related, I can't heal you… and our contact could be bad," Kato continued. It was then that both Kato and Paula stood back again.

"I don't think it can harm us though, right?" Paula asked. The both of the flinched again as Ness coughed. I sighed. I knew where this was going. Which made me nervous slightly.

"And if you two were to catch whatever Ness had… that would mean trouble, wouldn't it?" I asked. Paula and Kato slowly nodded.

"It would be really bad indeed," Kato added.

"It would be a great opportunity for Giygas, or anyone that were out to get us, to get the opportunity to succeed at it," Paula added, frowning as Ness coughed again.

"Ness, are you sure you'll be ok?" Paula asked. Ness, after he cleared his throat tried chuckling shamefacedly towards her.

"I'll be fine… like you said; it's just a small PSI-related cold, right? Hahaha…" Paula and I frowned at his statement.

"He needs to be quarantined… as harsh as that sounds, Paula and I can't come into contact with him. But, since you don't necessarily have PSI yourself Jeff, you wouldn't be affected," Kato added. I rubbed my head as Ness coughed again. I bit my lip, as the three of us watched the delicate butterfly, land on his head while Ness clutched his stone to his chest.

"You're right… let's get him into a bed immediately," I said, looking around us, until I spotted it.

As we silently made our way back to the hotel, along the way, I picked up the bazooka.

"What's that?" Paula asked.

"Something I found along the way here… I'm going to study its structure a little bit," I replied. None of them replied. I didn't think any of them even could.

---

It was about 9 when we finally got ourselves into the hotel, as the manager had to literally pin up his nose. We had forgotten, out in the smoggy down town; that we smelt like sewage.

"Please, feel free to let us wash your clothing, they're filthy!" He mentioned as he handed us our keys. The man scanned us over again for a moment, this time looking at Ness.

"Will he be ok? I can send some fresh tea and soup up pronto," He mentioned. I nodded.

"That would be great, thank you," I replied. After a bit of speculation, the four of us finally decided, that, Kato and Paula would both share the room with the king mattress while Ness and I would somehow manage with the twin bedroom. I figured to myself of course that, Ness would automatically get the bed. So be it, I thought.

"We'll call you two in a few minutes to see how it's going," Paula told us.

"Aight," I replied, as we went our separate ways, Ness still using my body for support.

"We're almost there Ness. Then we can all finally rest, especially you," I replied to him. Ness at the time, could only grunt, his breaths clouded in fluids, and his face, which was plastered against my shoulder was still relatively warm. Ness at this point was _exhausted_, and his fever made me nervous. I didn't quite know exactly how to take care of them, all I knew was to just keep the victim of the fever as comfortable as possible. As Ness and I walked up to the elevator, I paused, slapping my face.

_Elevators under maintenance_ - the sign read. I sighed.

"Get on my back," I told him. Ness could only nod, looking the opposite way, as I knelt down to him. I realized then, how awkward this was starting to become, and I had a feeling Ness felt the same way, carefully getting on my back as I lifted him into the air and started walking up the stairs.

Neither of us could say a word then, the day was finally over. No more rushing cars, no more creepy stalking scientists, no more old grubby men trying to kill you, Jeff… at least not today. As we approached the hotel door, Ness handed me down the card key as I slid the thing in and walked us inside.

The fresh smell of the hotel sheets yet again reminded us, how gross and smelly we actually were, and while Ness probably couldn't smell anything, I could, and it was really gross. Sitting Ness in the hotel room's chair, I rotated my shoulders. All Ness could do was sit there, looking away, and shiver. The silence was awkward.

"Stay right there," I told him in a low monotone voice, as I put the bazooka down to the floor and slipped into the bathroom.

After using the toilet, I ran the water in the bathtub, letting the water warm up. Walking back out, and seeing Ness, almost lifelessly laying in that chair, I planted my hand on his head. Still hot, I thought. So did that mean the water couldn't be as hot as him? I could only assume so. But warm enough to where he wouldn't shiver… I bit my lip.

What if he didn't have the strength to stay conscious in the bathtub? He had to get clean, he was filthy, and there were most likely cuts on his body that needed washing. Going back into the bathroom, to adjust the temperature and add the bubble soap, I finally flushed in realization to what I was doing. I was preparing a bath. For Ness. Whom I was starting to have feelings towards. Whom was sick. And who needed a bath, but couldn't stay awake. I groaned, rubbing my temples.

I looked around the room, realizing that, all of Ness's and Kato's belongings were in this room. Rummaging through some of the things in the room, I found exactly what I was looking for, in a box in the closet.

Opening the first aid kit, I eyed all of the small tools, until spotting the obvious one. Getting the thermometer, I brought it to Ness. Ness groaned.

_"Nooo…"_ Ness protested.

_"Yes,"_ I replied, trying to slip the small stick between Ness's lips, until Ness grit his teeth together to block his mouth. I flushed at how silly this was while furrowing my eyebrows at him.

"Open, _now_," I replied, heart fluttering as I had to get closer to him to emphasize my point.

_"No_," Ness pouted. I sighed a staggered breath.

"It's just a thermometer Ness, now open up," I ordered. Ness bit his lip, pouting at me with flushed cheeks. Ness finally complied, letting me slip the small stick gently between his lips, underneath his tongue as I closed his lips with my fingers. Ness furrowed his eyebrows at me, looking away before shivering.

"There," I replied, as the room phone rang. Standing up to get it, I had almost tripped over the box before answering the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jeff," Paula spoke on the other line.

"Hey," I replied. "I'm taking Ness's temperature now, how are things doing down there?" I asked.

"I let Kato take his shower early since I like taking nice long baths hehe… is Ness in bed?"

"No… not yet, he needs to bathe, we all stink and he might have some cuts and bruises I'll check here soon…" I trailed to silence with that sentence, looking over to Ness, who still looked pouty, sitting with his legs crossed and hands resting on his feet, looking at me with strange doe eyes.

"Haha… have fun trying to do that," Paula told me giggling. I scratched my head.

"Not now… I might need time to myself here soon…" I told her.

"I can come and watch him for you if you want," Paula told me. I smiled.

"Only if you want… don't go anywhere without anyone else though," I told her.

"Ok, well, I'll call you soon. Get Ness in that bath and into bed, will ya?" She added.

"Haha… aight, see ya," I spoke, putting the phone down, and eyeing Ness. In response, Ness looked down, as I walked to him and took the thermometer from his mouth. _One hundred and three degrees_, I thought.

"What did she say?" Ness asked.

"She just wanted to know how we were… that's all. They're doing fine," I replied, checking the bath water again quickly, as it was very full. This would be good for him, I thought. A nice warm bath where Ness could let his mind wander, it was something I liked doing a lot, at least. I sighed finally, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks again. This was going to be awkward, I thought. Very, very, _very_ awkward.

Walking out of the bathroom again, I got the first aid kit again, and got out the cotton swabs and the alcohol, and stood in front of him.

"Ok Ness, bath time," I told him. Ness looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite read yet.

"O…k…" Ness replied in an awkward voice. I sighed.

"I'll help you there, how about that? I'm counting on you to do… the rest…" I replied. "Without me… trying to help you," I told him. Ness's nod was small, as I helped him out of his chair, as he hissed slightly.

"My joints ache still…" Ness mentioned. I frowned, ushering him to the bathroom.

"Are they wounds or are they just sore from all the walking?" I asked.

"I don't know…" Ness replied as I helped him through the door. And at that time, there we were. In the bathroom. Ness shivered again, letting go of me.

"Ok… time for me to take a bath, I guess," Ness chuckled. I nodded.

"Yeah… go take your bath," I replied, walking out of the bathroom, awkwardly. I could hear him plop down onto the shut toilet.

"Jeff?" Ness asked.

"Hmm?"

"… Did you remember what you wanted to tell me before?" Ness asked. _Not this again!_

"I'm sorry, I really don't remember…" I replied, rubbing my neck. And for a small pause, Ness and I just stared at each other. Ness reached down to his belt, with fumbling hands.

"I need help… with my belt," Ness spoke in a quiet voice. Okay… I silently complied, walking over to him. I don't think I could recognize my voice very well.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked again. Ness shivered, as I knelt down.

"My belt… is hard to unbuckle with fumbling fingers…" Ness told me. I shivered, not from the cold, but from the situation. Instead of going for the belt at first, I untied his shoes; Ness silently watching me, slip them off his rather smelly feet. Mine wouldn't have smelt any better though. Slipping off his other shoe; Ness made a small peeping sound, as I could see his socked toes cringing up. Everything was cold when you were feverish. That's why, I had to gain permission, to take off his socks; I could only assume he was too tired to bend over to do that. Ness nodded slowly, biting his lip, as I took the rim of one of his socks and slid it past his ankle. Ness's breath shook, as the sock slid past his toes. Why was I making this process so slow? Taking off the sock, I did so at a faster pace, feeling my own fingers fumble in the process.

"Thanks but… my belt," Ness said. Oh right, his belt. I nodded silently, shivering as I bit my lip, not daring to look at Ness in the eyes as I unbuckled the belt as quickly as possible, trying not to be violent. God, I hoped my face wasn't scarlet, I'm sure it was, as I finally managed to unbuckle Ness's belt, something I wasn't expecting myself to do anytime soon.

But bringing my fingers up rather quickly from his belt, to bring back to myself, a couple of fingers ended up accidentally getting caught in the hem of Ness's shirt, accidentally dragging up his shirt slightly in the process. And before I could claim my own hands back again, Ness, in the physical response, quickly put his own hand on top of my fingers, keeping them hooked to the rim of his shirt. Ness looked at me for a moment, before looking away, exhaling. Ness had managed to gain control of my other hand as well.

Both of us were shaken. What were we doing? Neither of us however, protested, which was strange, and unusual. Punishment? I wasn't sure…

But when both of us started lifting the rim of his shirt, I felt possessed, slowly pulling the shirt over his shoulders and over his head, exposing dirty, olive colored skin. And as I let the shirt drape down to the floor, all I could do was stare, astonished and shocked. Ness just sat there, looking down to his side, flushed cheeks and shoulders. Why did he…

Then the sound of a knock at the door rattled me up.

"I… I gotta go get that," My voice stuttered, zipping out of the bathroom, almost tripping in the process as I opened the door.

"Hi Jeff, I thought I'd bring your stuff over"-

"Paula… _you came here by yourself?_" I asked, hiding my forehead into my hand. "You know better not to do that!" I told her. Paula frowned.

"It's not like we're in the hostel," She spoke. "Anyways, I ordered this room some nice hot tea and soup for you two to share. Where's Ness?" She asked. My lip was sore from all the biting.

He's in the bathroom… about to take a bath," I told her. Paula tilted her head at me.

"You look really flustered Jeff… are you sure you're alright?" She asked me. I sighed heavily. A moment of pause.

"By any chance, did you come here to keep an eye on Ness for a little bit? Or… could I ask that from you please? I need some fresh air…" I told her. Paula nodded slowly.

"Yeah Jeff… I don't mind," She replied. I nodded.

"Good. I'll umm… go visit Kato in your room or something… I'll call you when I feel like coming back," I told her, slipping out of the room. "Sorry…" Looking back at her, frowning. Paula however, could only smile. That was the only thing she could do at times like these.

"Just get your air," She replied. I nodded sheepishly before I walked away.

---

As I walked down the stairs to the lobby, looking around there was almost no one in sight. Well… there was one man, leaning on a wall, at the start of a hallway. He looked strange to say the least… not totally bum like, but not as sophisticated either? He was probably waiting for something, I thought, as he looked up at me with these weird eyes. But before I could really get a good look at him, I continued on to the other side, to climb more steps.

Making it to the other hotel room's door, I stood there, breathing in. What was I doing anyways? I didn't know Kato enough to have a conversation with him. But I knocked, waiting patiently for the door to open.

"You can come in," I heard one's voice say from the other side of the door. I breathed in through my nose, as I opened the door.

The room was already lit up by the lamp in the room. Closing the door, I stood at the entry way for a moment. The bathroom light was on, and as I passed the open door to look and see if Kato was there; he was. He was definitely there; shirtless and letting his hair loose from his towel. What _perfect_ timing, I thought. No _no,_ _stop_ with the shirtless torsos! And for _god_ sakes, I grew up with this! Why was I suddenly too flustered to look at a male torso?! I jumped back.

"Ah… I didn't realize you were changing," I spoke awkwardly. Kato hummed. Surprisingly, I couldn't help myself, but watch as he let his long hair just drag down to his mid to lower back. Such long, black hair I thought… and I finally realized then, how _muscular_ he really was… it was something my body couldn't even create out of itself, even if I tried. His tan skin, wrapped around his body like silk… why did I just say that in my mind?

"How's Ness?" Kato asked. This was already starting to get awkward, I thought.

"I… he's ok…" I replied. Kato finally faced me, white eye glittering in the bathroom light.

"We were worried, we couldn't get a hold of either of you… it was good timing when we did find you… very slim, I might add," He said, flipping the bathroom light off. It was hard for me to look at him in the eye, I immediately thought. Some inevitable force kept me from doing so.

"Come in," He told me, walking past me, as I could see the long sleek black hair sway behind his back like a grandfather clock. He must have just showered, I thought, smelling a fresh odor from him.

"So he got the melody after all?" He asked, sitting down in one of the chairs, offering the other one to me. I slowly complied. It just was so awkward, now that he was finally talking to me. Rather normally, I thought.

"Yeah… I helped him over the wall to get there, we always knew where it was, we just couldn't get to it without defeating the rat down in the sewers," I explained. Kato ahhed in replied.

"And besides the car incident, you two were ok?" He asked me. I paused for a moment, thinking back at the man… and the uncontrollable PSI energy.

"Judging by that lack of reply, I'll assume no I guess," He replied. I frowned.

"And you… did you and Paula do ok?" I asked. Kato brought his hair around his shoulder, as he grabbed water from the table and drank it. I could only stare as he gulped it down, seeing the ripples move down his throat.

"We ran into a few incidences with some strange folk, but nothing out of the ordinary like you two did. We felt bad; you had no weaponry, and we didn't know about Ness…" I could only nod, looking the opposite way, breathing in. A moment of silence.

"So… you look bothered. What happened?" He asked. I tightened my fists, closing my eyes as I let the events of today pass through my mind.

"… I just don't get it. Every day, it seems like I run into an incident that I can never forget… today, I was scared again. I'm always scared…" Why was I saying this to Kato? Why was I suddenly trusting his company? "Do… are you ever afraid of anything?" I asked. Kato seemed to observe me, with those hawk like eyes of his.

"You can say that… plenty of times," He replied. "Some that I'm not quite ready to tell many people yet, but of course I've gotten scared at times," He said, grabbing a vine of grapes from his pouch.

"…"

"Just say it…" He said, taking one of the grapes and placing it on his extended tongue. "I won't judge you now," He said. I bit my lip, mind flashing back to that man.

"Someone… someone I've sworn I've seen sometime in my past, seemed so determined to… kill me today… but when Ness came along… his intentions were different with him. I don't know… I don't think he did anything to Ness but…" I started to shiver on my words again, as I grabbed my head, feeling a tear reach out of its peak.

"He was… _so determined_ to _kill _me… I've never seen anyone as determined in my entire life… _and it was just to __**kill**__ me and __**only **__me…"_ I shivered, the more I thought of those gray eyes. I knew that this man would haunt my nightmares for the time being. Kato, I was sure, was silent, observing my now lost state as I continued.

"And I… I couldn't do anything… just thinking about that… I…" I bit my lip, to try and keep it all in.

"… This may shock you… I know what you're feeling… to a certain degree," Kato said. I looked up to him, as he bit another grape, but stared at the wall.

"See… I grew up in a kingdom of wealth in its own right… in the past, we've had complications… some which had taken many lives… sometimes in a society like that, it doesn't matter who you are or what you do for the people… if you're in that certain position or ranking… people might not like you as much… some people hate. Some people might even hate because they want to get out of the position they're in," He said. I had no idea what Kato was talking about.

"And… where are you from again?" I asked. Kato smiled to me.

"Far off into the high east… Dalaam," He spoke, as I remembered Pokey's words.

_"I'm not saying that humans can't learn this so called PSI... in fact, there's someone in a faraway country, Dalaam, that's studying it as we speak. I'm pretty sure he has to keep using it constantly... he wouldn't be able to harness it naturally like Ness and Paula can. But maybe you'll meet him someday, and ask him what it's like. __I know I'd like to know,"_ Pokey spoke in my memories.

"So… what's it like?" I asked. Kato frowned slightly. I frowned in return.

"It's in the high mountain ranges… far from regular civilization. We're known as the cloud or sky people to some societies. I'm sure you'll see it sometime soon," he told me. I nodded.

"And may I ask… how you know PSI?" I asked. Kato paused for a moment. And I knew, even before entering the room, that he wouldn't tell me any details.

"Lots and lots of training… enough training to split you in half," He replied honestly. I gulped, taking his words literally, as I looked at his eyes wander to the ceiling.

"This man you speak of… he sounds kind of mental… even though most of the killers are," He mentioned. I gulped.

"I remember… I could have sworn I saw him before… in the house I lived in when I was a child… one night, he was just in my room, wanting to reach down to me… then he spoke words to me that, for the longest time I held dear to me… now I don't know what to think of them anymore…" I shuddered. Kato frowned.

"I hate to say it but… if you really want to live, you can't let your emotions take control of you like they are," Kato told me. I wanted to snarl up at him… but he was right.

"Yeah… you're right," I replied. "But… I'm not strong enough to stop a car… nor am I strong enough to handle these feelings," I told him. Kato could only look at me again, eating and sucking the grape below his tongue. I looked down again.

"No… I want you to look at me," He told me. What? I looked back up at him, back at one deep dark black eye and one piercing white hawk eye. He bent over, observing me again. I shivered slightly, slouching back into my chair. We weren't that close, but somehow I felt like my space was invaded. I looked at him, but I didn't focus on his eyes.

"Want a grape?" He asked, smiling slightly. I wasn't sure how though…

"Uhh… no thank you," I replied. Kato shrugged.

"You can't even focus your own eyes… I guess tonight isn't the right time for that," He said. That made me a bit curious… but I didn't push deeper into that segment.

"Don't let one guy rattle you up Jeff… there's plenty of other people that probably want to kill us out there… they might not even have a reason either," He said. That didn't make me feel any better. Not the slightest.

"Well… someone else I know would love to have the pleasure to kill me, I know that for sure," I mentioned. Kato laid his back on the arm rest facing me, and crossed his legs over the arm rest that was closer. He bit off another grape from the vine he ate. Almost giving himself a royalty pleasure in this awkward moment.

"Really?" I bit my lip.

"…He's one of our main enemies… Pokey. He's… pretty strange to say the least," I said.

"Pokey… I see. I haven't met him before, but I suppose I will soon," He said. I sighed.

"He knows all about you though… he told me about you before we even met," I said. Kato looked over at me with a strange expression by only moving his eyes.

"That… doesn't surprise me… hearing Ness talking about him, he would know everything… especially if he's our enemy. Enemies always study their enemies… it's a common fact," He explained.

"Well yeah, I know that," I said. "I just find it weird that… if he's an enemy of us, then why won't he kill Ness or Paula… preferably Ness?" I mentioned. "He didn't sound keen on killing either of them… but perfectly willing for me," I said.

"I'm pretty sure you couldn't- or he couldn't say the same about Giygas," Kato finally said. I looked up at him again. That's right… then there was Giygas.

"Just what _is_ Giygas anyways? I keep hearing about this… Giygas guy. I can only assume that he's caused a lot of this mayhem, but… we haven't run into… Giygas yet. I'm starting to question if such a thing even exists," I said. "Are they even human?" Kato stared at the ceiling.

"Giygas is the reason you're here in the first place. When was the first time you noticed anything strange about your being, destiny, or the world around you?" He asked. I paused for a moment, wincing slightly, thinking back at the humanoid figure in my past… I widened my eyes in fear. Kato observed this, very very closely.

_That astronaut that killed mother… that wasn't Giygas… was it?_ Shaken up by this new theory of mine, I wanted to bolt out of there for some odd reason.

"Whatever scarred you in the past… was probably caused by Giygas," Kato finally said. "As bad as that sounds, it's true. I can only imagine if, Pokey won't kill Ness nor Paula, Giygas won't have any problem doing so. How much do you know about Pokey anyways?" He asked me. I pondered this for a moment.

"… Not that much," I replied, keeping the diary on the back of my mind.

"I see… well Jeff, there's a lot on your mind right now. Why don't you, while you still have the chance, just let all of those thoughts disappear for tonight and relax? There's not much we can do right now, not until Ness can recover from his weird sickness," He said. I sighed.

"Yeah…" I said.

"Did Paula go watch Ness for you or something?" He asked. "She better be keeping a good distance from him."

"Paula's smart… I'm sure she'll be fine," I replied. Kato nodded.

"She's charming, isn't she? She takes a lot of this better than any of us, always smiling," He said. I smiled.

"She keeps us moving… always keeping us on track, despite her age. She'd put many parents to shame," I chuckled. Kato looked at me again, as I kept our stare unlocked.

"So Ness… what is he to you?" He finally asked. I shivered.

"Ness? Hah… he's a good friend now… I think. We've had our moments but…" Now my mind wandered to his PSI energy and his scared expressions throughout the day.

"He seemed to cling to you a lot today… since he can't cling to any of us." I frowned, thinking back again to Ness's weak pleas.

_"Please don't take me to the hospital…"_ He spoke into my memories.

"Are you still afraid to tell him anything that's on your mind? I'm sure he'll listen to what you have to say," He continued.

"_Do you remember what you wanted to tell me before?" _He spoke again in my mind. At this time, there was a knock at the door again. We paused for a moment.

"Come in," Kato casually said as the door opened, revealing Paula at the door.

"P-Paula…" I said. Paula smiled.

"Ness is in bed now. He kinda got lonely in the bathroom," Paula chuckled. I frowned.

"But he's… you know."

"Yes yes, he's clean. It's a good thing that he was able to make it to bed in time without me having to help him," She mentioned. "I'm sure that, since he doesn't have any PSI in him now that, it wouldn't be too bad if we made physical contact with him…" She said.

"I don't think so," I replied, remembering back in Winters when his body rejected the butterfly.

"Maybe it isn't contagious… hopefully… but his body can't come in contact with anything PSI related… we discovered this when we ran into one of his butterflies. If he tries absorbing it, his body rejects it. I just hope whatever this is leaves his body soon… it worries me," I explained. Both Paula and Kato examined my subtle change of sadness in my voice.

"Just what happened?" Paula asked. I squeezed my fists, remembering the incident again, with the strange murderous man and Ness's freak out session.

"…There might be another new strange figure in the ways of our missions… and I don't know what he's trying to do… besides kill me," I told them, looking at Paula seriously. Paula could only stare back.

"What did they do?" She asked. "Did they make Ness's condition worse?" She asked.

"I really don't know… I don't think so but…" Kato and Paula waited for me to continue.

"Don't you think it's strange that… he told me how to cure Ness, and it worked?" I finally said. Paula and Kato looked at each other.

"Continue," Kato said. I gulped.

"Just tell us exactly what happened, Jeff," She said. I sighed.

"Fine… while I was trying to find Ness or you or anyone, I ran into this guy. Or… I kept running into him. Do you remember a man with dark hair past his chin and a dark brown coat this morning? He was near the museum… well that was the first place I saw him. Then after that, he kept… following me. And when I finally asked what he was doing, he just started lashing out at me… my mind went blank then as he seemed to want to really hurt me… but then when Ness suddenly showed up… things started getting worse. Ness was still having his little PSI freak out…" And the more I thought of this… the more I thought of what if… what if Ness hadn't have come? I would have died…

"And…?" I bit my lip.

"Ness had no idea what was going on, but he freaked out… that was when I guess the man stopped trying to hurt me but rather told us… told me how to get him back to semi-sanity…" I explained.

"What was the cure?" She asked. I sighed.

"Let him abuse his power… let him use it all up," I spoke exactly what the man told me. "Ness needed to get every ounce of PSI out of his body, I guess since his body was rejecting it… and still is. But before I could get anymore out of him, he left… and I did exactly what the man told me to do, I told Ness… or I made him unleash all he had… even if it were to kill me in the process," I spoke. Paula looked down.

"It was a good thing I prayed for the two of you…" I stayed silent.

"Well… we'll have to look out for the man in the future… that's very irregular," Kato said. "Someone we _don't_ know, knows about PSI?" He mentioned. I shrugged.

"I'm starting to wonder how many people do… there might be more than we think," I said.

"Did… Ness have any familiarity with him?" Paula finally asked. I paused.

_"You're just like him…"_ Ness rasped in my mind.

"Why do you say that?" I asked her.

"…Ness knew someone from his childhood; someone that he wanted to meet again, ever since we started journeying. He hasn't told you about him yet?" She asked. _This was interesting_, I thought.

"No…" I replied.

"An older man… old enough to be his father… he told me that his parents banned them from each other fearing he was someone bad… I don't know many details. You'd have to ask Ness about him more," She said. I bit my lip.

_But would he even want to?_ I thought.

"I should go back and see him before he worries…" I said, getting up.

"Do you need me and Paula to escort you back?" Kato asked. I paused.

"I'll be fine… thanks," I said, walking out the door.

"I can't thank you two enough… you saved our lives," I said. "I hope someday, I can repay the favor somehow." Paula giggled.

"Just go to bed," She said. I smiled slightly.

"Thank you…"

"The room is locked by the way, so no one can get in without a key," She said. I nodded.

"Aight… goodnight… thanks," I said before descending out of the room.

---

_You know that man I spoke about, Picky? The one that looked like he wanted to kill me?_

_ Well, I kept seeing him again. But he wasn't in the park._

_ He was around the playground of our school. None of us paid him any mind though at the time… everyone thought he was a father, picking up their child._

_ I didn't notice anything extraordinary at first, though keeping my distance from him. He still didn't seem very mentally stable, at least what I could see. After school, as all the kids walked home giggling and laughing, I tried spotting Ness and Tracy, seeing that I could hang out with them for the rest of the afternoon. _

_ And there they were, holding hands as they walked past that same man. I froze for a moment, not wanting to pass the man myself. It was weird, almost eerie at the time, but I learned well over the years that I would have done far worse with my current state of mind if I was in his position._

_ For the first time ever, his eyes were fixed on something. They were fixed upon the boy walking past in the red and blue cap, staring right back at him. I wasn't sure what his intentions were, but he kept still, looking at Ness. Tracy however grew impatient, as she tugged his arm to come along with him._

_ And as I kept a distance from the man, following Ness and Tracy on the other side of the street, all he could do was stare, as Ness walked away._

_ It was the first time that; I could tell; the man's eyes could focus… almost as if he remembered something important to him. _

_Something so important, that it brought him back to reality._

---

As I passed through the lobby again, I could hear the sound of a hand dryer, coming from one of the downstairs, public restrooms. Someone must have just left, I thought, as I made my way to the stairs, until I heard the dryer turn off. But then as I descended upstairs, it turned on again…

I didn't pay it any mind though.

Getting to the floor with our room, I got out my key, and slid it into the door…

Only to find out that apparently the door was already open. I cocked my head. Did Paula forget to lock it? Maybe she locked it, but then while she left, room service came up and delivered the tea and soup to our room. I opened the door.

Walking in, I froze.

The bed sheets were open, and the bathroom was dark and empty.

"Ness?" I spoke out, looking around the bed, in the bathroom, in the closet…

But Ness was nowhere to be found. _Oh no…_

My first intention was to reach for the phone and call their room, but when I did, their line was busy.

"Damn it, who could you be talking to?!" I swore out loud, punching the dresser, as I slammed the phone down, and stomped out of the room. Locking the door behind me, I looked around.

_"Ness?_ Ness where the _hell_ are you?!" I spoke out loud, inattentively making my way down to the lobby. Was he making his way to Paula and Kato's room because he was lonely? Did he not know how to use the phone?

As I made my way to the lobby again, it was still dead silent… which I still found very strange…

All except for that hand dryer running in that restroom…

_Slam!_

I jumped slightly, hearing the sound of, what could have possibly been, a stall door, slamming against a wall. My eyes widened slightly, as I dashed towards the noise.

My footsteps ended up leading me to the men's restroom, where I could definitely hear that hand dryer running. I took in a deep breath, opening the door and stepping right inside.

When I walked in, not only was the hand dryer still running, but so was one of the faucets. The trash can, laying on its side, littered the floor with wet and wadded up paper towels. And all the stalls seemed empty… except for the handicapped one. I wasn't entirely in the bathroom yet, but I was going to, in a split second.

_"What is a pretty little, young boy like you doing out in the public restrooms so late by yourself?"_ A creepy voice spoke. _"You should know better if you don't want to run into any trouble."_ After that, the whimper of a young familiar voice…

"_No… stop,"_ Ness whimpered. My insides twisted, as I literally dashed towards the bathroom door and rammed my entire body into it.

_BAM!_

As I tackled the door in, I saw just exactly what I had expected.

I was disgusted to the maximum, as I saw a strange, older man, possibly the same man I had just seen out in the lobby minutes ago, cornering and trapping a poor, helpless Ness in his white and blue striped pajamas. _Partly unbuttoned_.

Ness was completely and utterly horrified. I snarled.

"_You sick fucking bastard,"_ I swore, as he turned around to greet me with his perverted face. I returned the greeting with a fist, across his cheek bone and his nose.

_"Jeff?"-_ Ness squeaked as, the man recoiled into the wall next to us. I glared at Ness for a moment.

_"Get __**out **__of the stall,"_ I told him. However, Ness couldn't move, as his back was plastered still against the wall. I snarled as the man tried scrambling back up on his feet. Immediately, I kicked him, right in the ribs.

_"__**God damn it**__ Ness, you got yourself into this mess like the disgusting bastard said! Now I'm getting you __**out!"**_ I rasped, handing out my hand to him. By this time, the man had found his own stance again.

_"Hey_, you think… a little punk like yourself can push me around? We were busy!" He growled at me as he threw a punch at me. Dodging, but not totally successfully as his whole body flew behind his punch, I pushed the man off, as he grabbed my shirt to toss me on the ground. The man's breath smelt like liquor, and his eyes were unfocused… which sent another shiver through myself, as I growled, trying to get the man off of me. But as soon as Ness finally walked around, he kicked the man, right in the back of the head, as I dodged his kick myself. The man groaned, as he grabbed the back of his head.

Scrambling up, I soon grabbed Ness's wrist, whether he liked it or not, and dragged him behind me, as we watched the man squirm in agony and pain.

"He's fucking drunk," I commented. "And he isn't the good kind of drunk either, he's the sick kind," I said, as he tried patting around him on the ground, probably so he could try standing up to get to Ness again.

"Get out in the streets where you belong!" I told him, before I was about to drag the petrified Ness out of the bathroom, until the hotel manager and a security guard both walked in.

"What's going on in here?" The security guard asked. Ness's hand in my grip was shaken.

"This man is drunk, he mistook my friend here as his wife and tried to come on to him," I semi-lied to them. The two of them looked at the man in the stall.

"Ugh, not this guy again, wasn't this the same man that was here a few nights ago?" The hotel manager mentioned. The security guard got out the hand cuffs.

"Well he won't be coming here any longer; this is the second time he's caused trouble here. You two kids can go back to your hotel room now," The guard told us. I squeezed Ness's hand, taking one last glare down at the drunk man. To an extent, he probably had no idea what kind of drama he had just created.

"Thank you," I replied, before dragging Ness out of the room.

---

As we made our way up the stairs, I was literally force-dragging him with me, whether he liked it or not. I was utterly pissed then, and I regret it. I couldn't help it though, just _why_. Why did that even happen in the first place?

When I unlocked the door and locked us in our room, I turned around, to Ness, whom looked mortified still. I rubbed my temples.

"I… I'm sorry"-

"Just- _why_ did you leave without _calling_ or _telling_ any of us that you were… _going to the lobby restroom_ when we have our _own_ bathroom in our room Ness, _**god**_ what the hell were you thinking?!" I spat at him. Ness flinched, as his body shook from the traumatic event.

"… _I went to use the hand dryer to dry my hair so it wouldn't be so cold, alright?!_ I thought since… Paula was ok, that… that…" Ness's face was already stricken in tears; red rub marks decorated his jaw and his chest plates as well as his shoulders. I scratched my head.

"So, when you're obviously sick, you thought it would be a good idea? Do you… even realize… how good of a target you are? Especially right now? _That sick pervert could have been one of Giygas's"-_

But as soon as I said that, Ness had started to tear up again. I fell silent, as I thought about what I had just said or was about to say.

Ness brought his hands around his chest to grab his arms, to hold himself, as his eyes were shut tight.

_It didn't matter if it was Giygas or not… this was something personal. _

_I wanted to hug him. So bad…_

… but after that happened tonight, what if he thought I was a major threat, even at this moment?

_"Ness…"_ I spoke, feeling my own emotions well up. Ness shivered.

_"It's so cold…"_ He whimpered. I could only shiver in response. Away from the comforts of your own home… with a fever, I thought. And still facing events that scare you to your living core...

_Damn it Pokey, what the hell did you do to him…_

So I finally wrestled with the logic of my mind, and listened to my heart, as I stepped forward to hold him again… just that one moment, where, if I really could, keep him warm and secure.

_Away from Giygas._

_ Away from that man or Pokey._

_ Away from the cold…_

… but what if he needed to be away from me? As Ness slowly accepted my embrace, weakly wrapping his arms around my waist, I slowly opened my eyes. I probably smelt gross to him… if he could even smell. I needed to shower.

"You need to go to bed now Ness… clear your mind and sleep," I whispered into his ear, next to his now soft and dry hair. Ness, it seemed, protested with a small whine. What did that mean?

"They sent us the tea; I'll go make you some…" I told him, as I finally broke our embrace. Ness gave me a look; I wasn't sure what to think of yet. Tired. Not aware. But sad… almost longing, as I ushered him into the twin bed, where he could sleep and have all to himself. There were extra pillows and blankets in the closet, so I could either sleep on the floor or in the chair and keep an eye on him.

As Ness finally lay in bed, I prepared the tea, which wouldn't take too long thanks to the interesting coffee-tea makers they had in each of the bedrooms.

"I want you to stop saying sorry… even thought that's hard for you to do," I told him pouring the hot water into the mug. "Ordinarily, that kind of trip for someone would have been care free… but realize that you're special. Don't think of yourself as a bad kind of special though. You're really valuable to many people," I said, chuckling slightly as I thought of his smile for some odd reason.

"But also… I like seeing you smile. Forget about today, or… focus on what good happened today… you got your next melody… be happy… even though that might be hard for you right now…" I went on. What was I even talking about? I was rambling… and my hands shook slightly, as I picked up the tea and brought it over to Ness's night stand. Ness looked up at me, silently, hiding his shoulders underneath the covers.

I need to wash up… but I'll leave the door open a hair…" I flushed at how strange that must have sounded. "The door is locked, they already got the creep… no one should be able to come in here without permission," I told him, as I dug through my bags to find some clean clothes. When I looked back to him however, Ness still stared at me.

"Be right back," I told him, going into the bathroom to get a wet, lukewarm towel to drape over Ness's forehead. As I came back out to put the towel over Ness's head, his violet eyes were gazing and swirling. But he stayed silent. I smiled slightly. I wasn't sure what else to do for him.

"Go to sleep," I told him, before going into the bathroom to wash up.

---

It was a different story, as I scrubbed my scalp harder and harder and harder, in the shower; hot blades of liquid drenching my skin, as my mind couldn't get not one man, but now two men out of my head. The one that wanted to kill me…

And the man that nearly… I frowned.

He didn't really intend on… _raping_ him… did he?

"_Not enough to steal his virginity…"_ Pokey spoke into my brain. My heart sank.

No wonder Ness was so weird around me… he was afraid I'd do something _so low_ as…

_No Jeff, get a grip, Ness knows you wouldn't do anything like that!_ I dug my nails into my scalp harder then.

_"So_ _when did you start thinking of him like this?_" Paula said in my memories again. I frowned, feeling my heart sink even lower.

I turned the faucet off…

Drying myself off, I slipped on my clean pair of boxers and pajama pants. Whipping my hair clean and dry as I reached down to grab my white t-shirt, I touched the cold toilet lid instead. I strained my eyes. Did I really forget to grab my shirt? Opening the door to the let warm steam collide with cold hotel room air, I strained my eyes, to search for my shirt, as I stumbled over to the dresser, where my bag and my bazooka where. Finding my shirt, I ran the towel over my hair again, sighing as I blindly made my way back into the bathroom, looking at the bed, which was blurry to me at the time. But I could see the dark spot above the white covers, assuming that was Ness's head.

But was he looking at me still? I flushed slightly, as I hurried on to put my shirt on over my head. And when I put my glasses on over my nose, letting my eyes focus, I rubbed the steam covered mirror clean to observe myself again.

I was tired to say the least, bags drooping below my eyes and an even colder look upon my pale face. I studied how I frowned. My heart kept sinking as I looked into my own green eyes… or… no, they were mine. Mother's eyes were warm and green.

This feeling kept draining me, after thinking in the shower, thinking back to today and last night, today was horrible for all of us…

And the more I thought about that stupid drunk man in the bathroom, the more I realized that… Ness and I couldn't go further than just friendship.

…

_Why was I thinking about that again?_ I slapped my forehead, and walked out of the bathroom.

Looking over to Ness's bed, Ness's head was buried slightly under the covers as he was facing the other way. His tea cup was still moderately full. I smiled slightly.

_Finally,_ I thought. Finally, Ness was sleeping. But what was I to do now?

I looked around the room, as I saw the chair. But on closer examination, it smelt slightly like sewage. Wanting to avoid the smell as much as possible, I tried thinking of another solution, grabbing my blankets and pillow and putting them down… in the bathroom, I thought? No… maybe Ness would like me to sleep out here with him so he wouldn't feel so alone, I thought. I made my 'fake' bed next to Ness's, but my current intention was different, as I went back to claim the bazooka and my tool box. I couldn't sleep yet, for some reason, I thought.

Maybe working on this new bazooka I found will help me take my mind off of this whole mess… I thought, turning the bathroom light on and closing the door all the way to a crack. Just so Ness didn't have to hear any of my tools clanking about.

---

_"Pokey Pokey!" Ness said, running to me up at our porch. Looking up to him, I thought, "There he was." _

_ You didn't know this Picky, but I was sick at the time, and all I was doing all day long while mom and dad were either gone or busy was draw and doodle in my sketch book. But as Ness came up, I immediately hid them from him._

_ "I hung out with Mr. Odd again!" Ness smiled happily. I sighed._

_ "But I thought the teachers told you not to talk to strangers, did you get in trouble?" I asked. Ness shook his head no._

_ Mr. Odd… in case if you were wondering Picky, was Ness's name for that strange man. _

_ "Why do you look up to him anyways? He's just an old bum!" I told him. Ness gave me a pouty look._

_ "Is not… look," Ness said, showing me his notebook._

_ "I've never shown him my notebook," He told me, flipping to the page of his imaginary friend, the flying man._

_ "Yeah, what about it?" I said. Ness then, dug out of his pocket, a yellow scrap of lined paper to let me unfold._

_ "He just gave me that today…" He said. "He knows him…" My eyes went wide._

_ Because on this piece of paper was a drawing of the same character. But it wasn't Ness's drawing, or any other style I could recognize._

_ "You told him about the flying man," Pokey told me. Ness then turned to a blank space next to him._

_ "Flying Man, did I ever tell him about you?" He asked his imaginary friend. At the time, I rolled my eyes._

_ "See, he says no! Pokey, believe me… Mr. Odd is really weird!" He said._

_ "Yeah, weirder than you," I replied. Ness pouted again, furrowing his eyebrows at me._

_ "Yeah, well at least he understands me more than you do!" He pouted, stomping down from my porch and walking back to his house. All I could was stare again, at where Ness was just standing. Maybe the Flying man was still with me… maybe he flew along with Ness. I looked at the piece of paper again:_

_ To my good friend. The Flying Man watches over us both._

…

The next two pages were blank, because in between the pages was a yellow, lined piece of paper. Taking the piece of paper into my hands and opening it up, my heart twisted slightly, knowing that I wasn't the one supposed to read this diary.

The yellow paper had a sloppy drawing of a humanoid bird. At the bottom of the page, in pointy, sloppy handwriting:

_To my good friend. _

_ The Flying Man watches over us both._

I looked at the bottom of the blank page in the diary.

_Don't tell Ness that I kept it. He hasn't seen it since._

---

I sighed, as I examined the bazooka for the millionth time. _What a strange structure_, I thought. I thumbed through my father's notes, as my eyes went in and out of focus. I rubbed my eyes.

I want to make a good weapon to aid Ness in his journey… something I can use to actually protect him, and Paula… possibly Kato, but he's proven himself to be a steel wall. I bit my lip slightly, as I unscrewed one of the panels along the skin of the bazooka. I had a feeling that the thing was missing some important details… if only I knew what they were.

Somehow pricking my finger as I reached into the bazooka's opening, I withdrew my hand, as a drip of blood started to grow on my fingertip. Wiping the blood onto my pants, I reached in with one of my tools again, and flashing a light inside to see what was happening inside the bazooka.

I didn't realize at this time, but, the bathroom door opened slightly. Just slightly. I looked up, thinking that I heard something. But a few moments later when I was minding my own business, the opening door was more noticeable, as a pair of fingers curved around the door as well as a poking head, looking past the door to see what I was doing. I looked up, not too surprised, but a little nervous as Ness looked down to me with tired, but sad eyes.

I sighed, looking down to continue my work. I didn't know what to tell him, that much. He opened the door more, as he realized that I was aware of his presence.

"You're having trouble sleeping?" I asked quietly, looking down to my tools, smiling to myself. However, Ness was unresponsive vocally, as he slowly slipped around the door and closed it to a crack behind me. Looking up, I couldn't read his expression as he still stared at me. Was it a glare? No, it was tiredness… but his eyes kept reading that same expression today. I wondered why he was here.

"You should be back in bed though," I told him, reaching for another tool. However, Ness shook his head no, slowly. I frowned slightly, as Ness closed the door behind him, sliding slowly down to the floor in front of me. All he was doing was staring at me. I sighed.

"It's hard for me to concentrate…" I told him. However, Ness still stared at me, hugging his knees to himself.

"It's too cold and lonely out there for me to sleep," He told me in his weak, sick voice of his. _Oh…_

"So… you just want to stay awake and watch me fail at fixing something?" I chuckled. Ness was silent as he leaned his temple against his knees. I flushed, at how he looked to me.

"Yeah… ummm… well anyways, this broke so… I wanna fix it. For a possible weapon. Hopefully a good one if I can do it, haha…" I said; rubbing the back of my neck as I nervously found a random tool.

"Forget I'm here… work like you usually work. I wanna see…" He told me. _Yeah, that didn't quite help, Ness!_

"Don't you need a blanket?" My voice shook. Ness shook his head no slowly. I exhaled.

Ness… despite his dramatic experiences today, was strangely calm… watching me do what I was supposedly known to do best. And that was it… I thought.

Ness just wanted company, I figured. Or at least he wanted to know that he wasn't alone. Ness shivered again.

"Are you sure you don't want a blanket?" I asked. However, Ness still shook no. No Jeff, I don't need a blanket.

So I went along with my business, reading and scanning important notes about the energy in rockets and chemistry; I was surprised that his handwriting was easier for me to read, my father's. Ness eventually slid down to lay on his side, still curled up in a ball, hugging his knees as he watched me. Like a patient child waiting for someone to stop playing on the tether ball pole. Or a dying cat sitting in a box in the rain, waiting desperately for someone to hold them in their arms.

"You look good… doing what you like doing," Ness barely mumbled. A slight comment, I brushed it aside, smiling slightly. But I kept silently working.

"Do you ever rest…?" Ness asked. I looked up to him. I nodded, and continued. I didn't want to say too much, hoping that he would fall asleep soon, but so far, it's failed. A few moments later… Ness spoke again. Was he trying to get me to say something? … Do something?

"I hope you're right… I don't want you to get hurt either…" He said. I sighed, thoughts running back to the murderous man. I wanted to avoid as many topics as I possibly could… for his sake.

"I won't hurt myself if you don't want me to…" I told him, reaching for another tool. At this moment, Ness had finally struggled to sit up again, still staring. Still anticipating.

"Jeff…?"

I just knew he had a question. And I had a feeling I knew what it was.

"Hmm?" I said, finally looking up to him again. Ness bit his lip, as he wanted to hid his nose behind his knees.

"…I want to know. So badly…" He said. Badly? How _badly_ did he want me to say what he wanted me to say?

"Badly…" I repeated.

"… What do you really think of me… please be honest," Ness asked. _Oh boy…_

"Didn't I already tell you? You're my friend Ness… you'll always be my friend," I told him.

_Stop lying, Jeff. Ness can see past your lies now that he's watching you._

"If we're friends… and just friends… then why am I so nervous… _desperate_… when I'm around you?" He mumbled quietly, as if he was trying to hide himself. I looked at him again, as he shivered, looking back at me. _But the word desperate…_ I thought. What was he desperate for?

"What… what do you mean? If you think I'd…" I stopped in mid sentence. _No_, I thought. We've _been_ over that, you've shown him, especially today… that you'd literally die, just to keep him safe. How dumb of you, to question why he would think you'd hurt him now? I bit the inside of my lip…

_… Because you already have._

"I'm sitting here… waiting… take your time because… I want to know," Ness said. I sighed, but I felt out of breath. _I was trapped now_.

"I must be your closest friend… if you really did do what you did for me today," He said. "I don't know anyone out there, that would have had held my hand… yelled at me for crying… carried me… hug me… _save me…_ all in one day_. Just to keep me on my feet_… I can't… even feel myself completely in reality… yet I can't sleep… and all I can do is watch you," He said. I had a feeling, after he said that, that he actually did watch me from his bed as I blindly found my shirt. I flushed slightly.

I had no idea how to reply to that.

"And just to get me to bed so I can go to sleep and recover… _is that really what it's about?"_ He continued. At this point, all my tools were out of my hands, as I looked down to the tile floor, listening to Ness's rambles. I wasn't sure if they were rants… but somehow, I had a feeling that Ness was starting to get right on the dot. And I still denied it.

"Hah… I'm sure Venus would be jealous of me," He continued. "If you did all that, just to make up your hero time for me…" He told me. A hero? Me?

"Why are you saying all of this?" I finally asked. Ness was silent again. I sighed.

"What do you really think of me?" He asked again. I closed my eyes, hiding my forehead in my palm.

"Ness… is this really the best time?" I asked.

"…I'll never get the chance to ask this ever again…" He replied. What did he mean by that?

"Ness, you're making no sense right now…you need rest. You're sick, probably hurt… not to mention cold… aren't you cold?" I asked. Ness frowned slightly.

"Not colder than you must be…" He replied. I had a feeling that he didn't mean that comment the rude way, but rather a pitiful way. My sigh fell staggered, as I had almost had it with his company. I can't tell you…! I just can't, not after what just happened!-

…

As I tried standing up, instead, I didn't pay attention, as I totally disregarded the multiple tools and gadgets at my feet, my right one, slipping on one of them…

I stumbled forward, catching myself, sloppily with the door, before, and barely landing on top of Ness.

I was startled, rattled out of my state of mind, as my body hovered over Ness's crouching form, Ness looking up at me with those violet-indigo-silver- _who the fuck knew_ eyes… as longing and desperate as ever. And despite the logical mind of mine, my body couldn't move. I was paralyzed, holding myself with the door above his perfectly fair face. I shivered, as my knee was literally against his now.

And there we were… staring at each other again, not knowing what to do.

My heart stopped… as Ness reached up to my face, claiming the ticket to my sight, placing my glasses onto the tile floor below us.

…

And in return for my loss of clear sight, I gained a pair of warm, soft lips… planting themselves against my own.

As I wanted to widen my eyes, I hadn't the strength, as my racing heart stole that energy.

_Ness had kissed me._

And the kiss was still there, only moving slightly, as his; our bodies started to shift. Ness's kisses were more noticeable, and as soon as I was sure that Ness understood what I had been wanting to tell him all this time, my blurry eyes fell shut. And I told him everything. Everything I had wanted to tell him so badly, through my own sloppy kisses, in return.

Ness hands clenched my shirt, so I couldn't escape anytime soon. But it didn't matter that much, as I, myself, had kept him pacified to the door. There was no escape, and we enjoyed every moment of it. As our mingling became more and more set in stone, they were more controlled, and stronger. In moments when Ness took a second long gasp of air, lips forming my name as our fight for dominance continued.

Darting my tongue out to poke and prod with his juicy, honey-tea flavored lips, Ness groaned slightly, immediately accepting my invasion, as he let my tongue slide past his lips. Wet. Hot. Slightly sticky, was all my mind could register, as my nose breathed in his scent. It was a moment where, I was so thankful, that I wasn't a PSIonic kid. Tongues lapping against each other, exploring each others mouths until the wet, heart racing exercise literally K.O.'d the both of us.

As our kiss finally broke apart, all we could do was catch our breath again, shocked and astonished, as we shifted back into our own spaces again. I touched my lips as I kept breathing heavily.

_I had just made out with the boy of destiny,_ I thought. _What in the world have I done…_ I shivered, not knowing how things would play out after what we had just did. Finding my glasses again, I looked up at Ness again, focusing my sights at the adorable boy in front of me.

Ness was smiling slightly. Which made me flush. I shivered, but so did he.

"Well…" I said. "I guess that could… answer a few things," I told him. Ness could only smile in return, that goofy- goofy but adorable- small smile of his. But finally, my logics kicked in.

"Alright alright… _bed time now_," I said, sounding more serious, as I stood up, using the door as a support of course. When I looked down to Ness again, he started to frown again.

"What…?" I asked, trying to help him up to his feet. However, Ness shook his head.

"Ness, we can't just keep sitting in the bathroom and keep kissing, you have a fever to get over," I told him, shivering at the words I had just said. However, Ness held his knees to his chest, seeing the fear well up in his eyes again.

"… It's too lonely and cold… to sleep in the bed… and I keep having nightmares… I'd rather be in here with you…" He said. I frowned sympathetically this time to him.

_Come on, Jeff you're tired, he's tired. You already kissed and made up again, just make him happy so the both of you can go to bed finally!_ I blushed scarlet, putting a hand over my head.

"Maybe… for just one night…I can sleep in the same twin bed with you," I told him. When I looked down at Ness again, there he was, with that cute smile of his again, this time, his cheeks seemed to glow a certain shade of pink themselves. He held his hand up.

_Well that got him to re-think his decision_, I thought, flushing to myself. As Ness used me as walking support, I led him to the bed-that's-supposed-to-fit-one-person, and helped his aching joints adjust to the position of lying down. When I pulled the blankets up to his chin, Ness finally closed his eyes and smiled, a tear crawling out of the corner of his eye.

"Thank you…" He spoke again. I finally smiled. I wasn't sure whether to thank him quite yet, but I couldn't help myself, looking down at Ness's sleeping face, as I reached down to plant my lips against his forehead, before flipping off all the lights and grabbing my own pillow, and crawling under the covers with him.

And as Ness and I huddled closer in the dark, keeping ourselves warm and secure, our fingers intertwined.

And we drifted off to sleep… listening to each other's heart beats… beating and resting in harmony.

---

_It had been a day sine I saw Ness, after the two of us had one of our rare fights. And I grew impatient and lonely as I lacked the company of my friend. I had stopped doing homework, ever since I became friends with him Picky, so I didn't get many desserts, if any._

_ But with the lack of a friend, I became depressed, as I would wander out in the sidewalks, and walk around the town, mostly around his house, just waiting for him to show up. And as I waited on one side of the street, I heard one's familiar voice._

_ "Hey, Pokey!" Ness hollered at me from the other side of the street. As I looked up through dirty long locks, I spotted him, waving cheerfully at me. My smile grew so wide as I saw him smiling cheerfully at me, as I immediately started to cross the street._

_ Screeeetch!_

_ Before I knew it, my body was violently pushed down to scrape against the pavement of the road, as my body screamed from the sudden pain, just moments afterwards._

_ "Pokey! __**Pokey!!"**_

_ It was the last thing I could recall at that moment._


	25. Trust

_A/N: Thank you so much, Leander, Red, Revu, Konoha's Kage, Minakaku, Tekirai, RaixOfxSunshine, Pk, Ilana, and Anonymous for reviewing chapter 24! ;v;  
_

_ Oh damn… look who updated after 3+months…. I want to apologize for how delayed this chapter is. I hope you readers know that I'm not the best at keeping these update promises (I said it would/could be updated a few weeks after the last update… in February.) Now it's… almost nearing mid-July. This fanfic will never end. Is the word, life an excuse for my inactivity? No? D: Bawww Ok, just kidding. So I've kinda neglected this, I should have updated a chapter towards the end of last semester at least, but then… yaaay end of semester pressures :D ahh k, I don't really have an excuse._

_Having summer again right now. While I've been a little (little) busy too (I'm in a summer class now, woopee) I've also been kinda going through some personal family things. To put it simply, just a couple surgeries. Luckily, my grampa got out of his, and he's doing better, from what I hear. I really hope he is, it worries me once and a while. Someone else in my intimate family is going to have another surgery by the end of this month… it's not going to be fun._

_Anyways, yeah, I'm extremely sorry about the delay and how I've neglected this story lately, but I'd say at least a quarter (if not half) of you know me from deviantart, so you guys know I'm still around and I haven't died. I've also kind of been having trouble with the Pokey entries… they haven't really been progressing like I thought they would. Gonna take a break from them so maybe I can update faster (you'll see as you read this one) There's also a big possibility now that, I might just destroy the diary all together and reveal the important information about Pokey a different way, because to be brutally honest, writing them is driving me insane now sadly;;; _

_While this chapter doesn't really… idk, progress through the plot as much? Jeff really has his mood swings in this chapter. And something that I've been keeping in my mind forever is finally revealed in this chapter, without much explanation. Overall, this chapter is very mushy/squishy for obvious reasons. xD_

_Also, I want to finally re-touch (kinda rewrite) some of the first chapters, and edit all the chapters because this website screwed a lot of stories/authors over by taking some form of text out of the original uploads (In my case, it's my triple dash interludes between scenes) If you've read my chapters and noticed how everything kind of just runs into each other, this is why. They were up, and readable once, gone the next. I was kinda mad at the time when this happened… I knew I wasn't going crazy when my X's disappeared… Now they're all going to be replaced with… more x's. Yes. It'll totally work guys, you'll see…_

_I hope that this chapter doesn't have too many flaws... I don't know if it'll make much sense or not... (doesn't know what she's talking about)  
_

_Anyways, I'm very sorry about the once again long wait. I hope you enjoy this nonetheless!_

_XxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxX_

_I could only listen on a subconscious level. That was the only thing that kept my mind linked to the real world. The voice of a young boy that I recognized was all I could hear then, pleading and whimpering my name._

_ "Pokey… Pokey say something!" I could barely recall what exactly had just happened or who was right beside me, but I wanted to believe that whoever they were had been reaching out to me. They were scared, and if my consciousness knew better by then, I would have only wanted to comfort them back._

_ And by this time, I wanted to believe that I was. I wanted to believe that I was hugging this person, just to tell them that it would be ok. Everything would be fine._

_ But at the time when I heard more unfamiliar voices surround my ears, our presences must have separated as I was dragged away in a dark tunnel. I started to become more aware of what was really going on._

_ But when I looked up, I could see strange faces looking down at me, all in strange goggles and masks. Their faces started to swirl, and pretty soon, everything in front of me was a giant whirlpool that became demandingly endless and dreamy. I closed my eyes before it could consume me._

_ It hurts… Ness, it hurts…_

_ It was what I kept thinking, but another voice spoke those words for me._

xxxxx

_ My glasses must have fallen off of my face by the time I felt my stomach hurl into my spine by some inexplicable force. I shivered violently, coughing up fluids as I fell to my knees. Examining my hands closer, blood, saliva, mucus, and possible some other substances covered my hands as a strong grip managed to tug forcefully at my hair, forcing my chin to face up. _

_ My vision was blurry but clear as the one holding my head was a silhouette. At first, the shadow of the astronaut, glaring down at me with one beam-like red eye. Blood trickling down my chin, and eyes blood shot in fear, I was helpless then._

_ "Oh Jeff… why did you do this to me?" On closer examination, or when my vision became clearer, mom glared down at me with an evil sneer and red eyes._

_ "I should have gotten rid of you before you were born, look what has happened now? It's your fault this all happened in the first place," She remarked. My broken teeth tried to clasp against each other. Before I could say anything, before I could do anything, mother's face disappeared and was replaced by another._

_ The man's blood shot eyes were locked onto mine… completely in focus now, as if he finally understood or as if I understood what was to happen here and right then._

_ Before I could react or do anything else, the man flung an arm at my face, to finish me off…_

…

My eyes shot open, revealing myself that I was staring at the ceiling in the hotel. My chest was a blare, panting to keep up with my racing heart before I took one deep breath in. My eyes were wet… was I crying during my sleep? _You're fine Jeff, you're safe… _yet still, my subconscious kept telling me that I was never safe. Ever. As if it was just waiting for that moment that I would die. I cringed uncomfortable at the thought. Wanting to burry myself under the covers again, I had just barely forgotten about the boy that allegedly wanted me to sleep in the same bed as him.

Ness let off a disturbed whine, as he shifted in the bed next to me. And as I couldn't see well in the dark, I turned around to face him. If my eyes weren't deceiving me, the boy's face was buried into his own pillow, hands clutching the pillow, almost as if he was hiding. Hiding from what?

"Go away… _go away…"_ I thought I heard him whimper in the pillow, as he squeezed it tighter. Was he having a nightmare? He was usually so peaceful whenever I saw him sleep… Without thinking of what would happen, I reached out to him, placing my hand to rest on the back of his own.

"_Ness…_ Ness it's alright, it's just a dream…" I mumbled to him. "I'm right here…" But what if it was more than just a nightmare…?

Before I knew it, good seemed to triumph over evil as Ness's hand loosened to accept my fingers to loop with his. Ness sighed. I could only sigh in return.

And that was that, I thought, as Ness's painful mewls were gone.

I smiled, closing my eyes again, letting the dark room lure my mind into slumber once more.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxX

_ The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 25 Trust_

XxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxX

It was way past when the morning light had crept up to the window. Waaaay past that, I thought, as the sunlight awoken my sleepy eyes. Even so, I wasn't really in the mood to greet the mid-morning, as I wanted to burry my eyes away from the sun. It glared, into my eyes, since all I could see was light anyways, without the aid of my glasses. I didn't want to move out of bed or even think about it. I almost felt glued.

Literally.

And I didn't care then apparently, as I kept my eyes closed, letting my mind drift off again…

Only to find that instead of drifting off, it explored, as my mind became inevitably aware of yesterday's events, until I questioned my mind… or my mind questioned… either way. What I remembered or what my mind remembered… did any of it really happen? I sighed.

_Nahh… it was a dream,_ I thought. _We'll be getting Ness's next melody today, you know. The two of you. You'll help him hop the wall after you help him overcome his personal obstacle and he'll cry from how entranced he is with his sanctuary…_

No wait… didn't that happen yesterday?

_No Jeff, it was a dream you dumbass._

No…

_You'll help him over the wall, the two of you will meet back up with Kato and Paula, but then the two of you will sleep in the same bed after kissing because he's sick…_

Wait, what was the part before the he's sick?

_No no you dumbass, that was a dream, your day will be totally different…_

…

My eyes finally fluttered open.

_It wasn't a dream… was it?_ And the more I pondered this, the more I questioned its existence, my lips reacted, from the muscle memory, as I could physically remember the slick exotic taste and smell that was Ness… the pressure against my lips… the texture of his tongue slicking against my own… I bit my lip, not sure how to take this all in.

_Oh god…_ that wasn't a dream… that _really_ happened…

Wanting to turn around, I felt paralyzed, but so be it. Let me rethink this through my brain.

Something that I had thought would never happen or, something that I had almost wanted to happen did, less than twenty four hours ago. And as I flushed to myself, I was almost afraid of turning around in the twin bed, to discover the boy that I had shared that same intimate moment with… I wouldn't turn around yet… not until my fluttering heart settled down.

But what if Ness was so sick that he wouldn't remember it much? Speaking of sick… my throat felt rather raw that morning… I hoped I wasn't catching a fever… especially what Ness has.

"_You don't have powers Jeff, how could you possibly catch what Ness has?"_ I grumbled to myself.

Still…

Did I really like Ness so much to do everything that I had done for him the previous day? What drove me, to the brink of death, just to keep him safe and secure… to let him know that I cared for him… on such a level that I became obsessed with him? Why was I so attracted to him?

I really wasn't sure why. Yeah, Ness was really cute. He really is... I thought, thinking of his head poking through the cracked door. He was so cute… the media would try putting their greedy paws on him and make him the next pop star for under aged girls to drool over… if I didn't beat them of course. His eyes were unavoidable… at least to me. He was gorgeous, especially when it came to those deep eyes of his.

Why was I so drawn into them? It was like looking in a glittering globe or the night sky… watching the silvery violet swirl around his eyes like silk. They always provoked some sort of emotion… an emotion I couldn't quite understand of describe. I almost felt protective, when I looked into them… possessive if you will. Like they were mine, his eyes belonged to me and only me… no one else could get their tainted sin written hands on them…

… That was the role of his eyes. But did he see that possessiveness in me? Maybe I didn't feel like what I had just described all the while looking at them, but what if he saw differently? I always liked to just stare at them, which was why I avoided his gaze in the first place.

But the reason why I had these lovey-dovey feelings for Ness? Was it really because that he was the first to forgive me? For all of my sins or for what I blamed myself for… all of those years ago? No… Maxwell was the first to forgive me in that sense… though I told him nothing. Was it the fact that, while Ness's powers were still new to me, they held some sort of familiarity?

… Familiarity? When and why did I ever just think that?

Or was it just the fact that I liked being around him? But I had always been too cautious with my actions around him to really act like my total self, fearing that our friendship would break apart. Now that since we had kissed, could that mean that I could be comfortable around him again? Would he judge me wrongly if I did something I didn't mean? I wasn't sure… but I was nervous to turn around and greet the sleepy head in the morning.

… Or was I just terribly confused?

All of our moments in the future could be created and everlasting or they could be shattered and torn to the ground for all eternity… if something wrong were to occur. And that frightened me, to no extent.

But if I really did love him… would he love me back? Do I even love him? I thought it was too soon to be pondering that; we were still growing teens!

Oh teen hormones… how corny and angsty could you get?

As I finally mustered the courage to turn around, and start a new unknown chapter in our relationship, I still felt stuck. Why did I feel so stuck? I physically felt stuck; like something kept me facing the opposite way…

… wait a minute.

I didn't register before that; I was rather nice and warm.

_Well duh, you've been sleeping in bed!_

No no… this seemed different. I reached to my night stand for my glasses.

As I did finally turn around in bed, I could feel more shifting than needed under the covers. I shivered, almost yelped, as I felt something small stir and slid down my bare back. My breath hitched as I faced to the other small half of the bed, the side where Ness was to be…

But his head was nowhere. And before I could react to this, I was distracted. Distracted from something glittering in the distance of the room. When the sparkling object merged closer, I could see then that it was a butterfly. How did that get in here?

The butterfly, then delicately landed on top of the messy covers, right next to my head, facing me. I could finally see this small creature up close, I thought. Small and silver, with a shiny tinge of lavender on the body, and a touch of light blue, making a pattern on its clear, crystal like wings, almost representing the pattern of a snow flake…

As I was astonished, looking at the butterfly as it sat close to my eyesight, moving its wings slightly, it was then that I heard another whine, which lead to the sensation of something more noticeable, sliding up my bare back. Freaking out, I quickly grabbed the hem of the bed cover, quickly flipping it off of the bed…

And sure enough, underneath the covers was where Ness was hiding, face buried in my lower stomach, his arms wrapped around my waist. My heart again jumped. Ness's mind, whatever state it was in, must have registered the lack of the blanket, as he squeezed his arms around my waist tighter, keeping his face away from the light. My glasses fell crooked at this point.

The butterfly, after its own freak out session from my sudden movement, eventually fluttered, back, to delicately land itself on the side of Ness's black messy haired head. Ness let off a small whine in protest as the butterfly must have tickled him, as he planted his hand on his scalp to scratch it.

I could only stare- astonished at the boy that nuzzled into me, grasping the sheets, my shirt, anything that would keep him from reality. And when I was sure Ness had realized that he was waking up, he groaned before mumbling something illegible to himself. I didn't know the right approach to this to be honest; but subconsciously, I let my right hand roam to his messy hair to stroke it slightly. I must have startled him somehow, as he quickly put his own hand to his head, only to pause when it rest above my own.

"I'm still sleepy…" Ness finally moped groggily. His throat sounded worse which wasn't great news, but I figured he was at that point in his fever.

"Then sleep… we can't do anything until you're ready," I replied calmly and truthfully. Ness let off a big sigh.

"Why is the sun so bright…" Ness complained. I could only hum in response, letting my eyes wander to the nearest clock. It was already nearing half past ten, I thought…

Nonetheless, Ness barely moved out of his spot, arms still wrapped delicately around my waist, keeping me pacified to his chest and his forehead. I didn't know what I thought when his next sigh revealed my name, but it was in a matter of moments later when the hotel phone rang. Both of us flinched from the sudden interruption, but as soon as the phone rang more than three times, I ushered Ness's hands off of me, as I got up to answer it. Ness whined in disappointment as I left the bed.

"Hello?" I spoke, rubbing my eye.

"Hey, Jeff? It's me Paula, I was just calling to see how things were going with you two in your room," Paula asked. I grumbled, yawning to myself to rub the back of my neck.

"We're still technically sleeping I guess, why'd ya call so early? It's only ten thirty…" I said. I could hear a small snort on the other side.

"It's one thirty-five pm," She replied. I raised an eyebrow, checking my watch and the clocks. The hotel clock read one thirty-six. I checked my watch on the counter. One-thirty-seven. How'd I miss that one?

"Oh…" I replied. Paula could only giggle on the other side.

"It's ok, if you two still need to rest, then do so. How's Ness?"

"I dunno… sleeping?" I said, glancing at the boy, whom was now laying on his back.

"Haha, ok, I'll let the two of you be for now. We'll probably check on you later though. See ya," Paula said.

"Ok, see ya," I replied, before we both hung up. I sighed, before turning around to Ness who had actually sat up in bed. Ness looked like he was about to topple over any second, but proceeded to ask his question.

"Did something happen?" Ness asked, looking down. I paused for a moment, and then smiled.

"Nah… nothing at all. She was just wondering how you were," I replied, walking back to the bedside to sit by Ness.

"I didn't realize it was so late. I could still sleep myself haha," I laughed. Ness smiled. Ironically, it didn't feel awkward for me, but I had the suspicion that it wasn't the case for Ness, as his tiredness apparently made him accidentally tilt into my direction, his shoulder touching mine. Ness jumped because of this, removing himself immediately.

"Ah, sorry…" Ness spoke, as if wanting to look at me. I smiled, turning my head to him, as I saw him look down away from me, almost in shame. I cocked my head.

Without much thought, I calmly slung an arm around his shoulder to bring him closer to mine, until his head was already against my shoulder. The movement startled him for just a swift moment, but as I rest my head on top of his, he must have gotten the message, or at least I hoped he did. I kinda hoped that we could be a little closer anyways, especially after… yesterday.

Neither of us could say anything again for the longest time. But it was ok… we were ok then.

"What… exactly happened yesterday?" Ness asked. I chuckled slightly.

"I don't know… too much for one day, that's what," I replied. Ness sighed through his nose.

"… Still, you didn't tell me what you wanted to tell me yesterday," Ness finally said. For the moment, my heart sank, very deep. I lifted my head to look at him, lips apart slightly.

"Wha…" I spoke incredulously. "But…" Ness looked up so I could meet his eyes again. After a moment of us staring at each other again, Ness broke out a smile.

"I kid, I kid," He laughed lightly. I finally let off my sigh through part of an exhaling laugh.

"You_ better_ have been joking, Ness," I chuckled. Ness bit his lip, keeping that smirk on his face, looking at me expectantly, as if I was supposed to do something then. I raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I chuckled. Ness took another moment to study me, as if he was trying to make the air between us awkward. It worked. Especially when he leaned up to close his eyes as he gave me a peck on the nose. I flushed, but I tried not to shy away. Ness, despite his sickness, finally looked happy. I loved that. But was he really happy… because I made him happy? Ness lied back down into the mattress, tugging lightly at my shirt to lie down with him. I complied, laying my back next to him, so we could look at each other again.

"Still… you didn't actually tell me," Ness smiled. Smiling, I rolled my eyes.

"Well what do you want me to say?" I asked. Ness shrugged.

"Whatever's on your mind…" He replied. I sighed.

"Fine fine… let me think…" I said. However, I always sucked at thinking in these kinds of situations.

"You kinda give me a purpose to keep going," I finally said. Ness was silent.

"I'm not the best communicator… so I don't know if my words will sound better than what… yeah…"

"Is that really the case?" Ness asked. I sighed.

"In all honesty… yeah," I replied, looking down to the sheets now.

"Why?" He asked in a more serious tone. I frowned, mind flashing back to school, to Tony and Maxwell.

"You were kind of the answer that I had been waiting for ten years… I mean as in… these events. I knew… deep inside myself that, something wasn't right. I was stuck with that theory in my mind, every single day that I spent back at school… yet I felt like I couldn't say anything to anyone. I knew everyone would have called me crazy back then… insane. They all did. But when I finally met you and Paula… honestly, I didn't know what to expect. But when I was finally able to tell you everything that I wanted to let out of me… I don't know… that's probably not the answer you were hoping to hear, was it? I'm not very good with these kinds of conversations to be honest…" I told him. Ness was still quiet.

"I gave you the freedom to speak your mind?" He asked. Hahaha.

"It meant more to me than you could imagine," I replied. Ness could only smile slightly, finding my hand to touch with his own.

"You could have told me sooner you know," He replied.

"I know… I should have. Maybe things wouldn't have been as rough between us if I had just said so. I'm sorry," I said.

"Nahh… it's not your fault," Ness responded. I bit my lip.

"But if you're looking for a less angsty answer… it's simple. You make me happy too, Ness," I finally said. "Even though most of our times together were a little awkward... and maybe stressful… but we could change that!" Ness smiled.

"But I didn't think you'd be gay either when I first met you," He giggled. I snorted.

"Me, gay? Hah… honestly, I don't really have much of a preference," I told him. Ness paused for me to continue.

"Even if you were a girl… nothing would have been different by this time," I told him. "You are who you are… you can look like whatever you look like. You'll always have those eyes of yours though… that's one physical feature of yours that probably wouldn't change… hopefully it doesn't," I told him. I looked back up to Ness, whom had started to smile again.

"I don't bug you?" He asked.

"Nah," I replied. Again, I got to look at him for a moment.

"I like your eyes too," Ness replied. My smile was subtle, probably crooked as I looked back at Ness, who broke the eye contact by poking me in the stomach. I chuckled, returning the poke back to the side of his torso. Ness squirmed, giggling in the process.

"Waaa, no Jeff, that tickles-" He tried to hold it in, but apparently my pokes at his side, as soft and affectionate as they were, happened to be too much.

"Whaaat, you don't want to be tickled?" I asked him playfully, poking him again towards his belly button. Ness squeaked, which startled me; I hadn't prepared for that. Hahaha. I was amused at this, so I poked him again. Ness snorted, laying back on the bed again, shielding his abdominal area as he bit his lip to keep the squeals at bay. Awww, I thought. _How cute…_

"Aww, you don't like being tickled?" I asked again. Ness squeezed his eyes shut.

"Haha I don't know… maybe a little bit- ah!" I poked him again almost instantly. But in return, Ness pinched the side of my own torso.

"Ack! What was that for?" I asked. Even though the pinch slightly hurt, Ness smiled at this. I guess it was because my reaction wasn't so serious. We were both thankful we could kid- even just for a moment in time. It was about that time however that we calmed out of our playful quarrel.

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Ness nuzzled back into the covers, and buried his entire right cheek into the pillow.

"Sooo… about yesterday…" I said. "… Do you remember anything at all?"

"The moments I was awake of course," Ness replied. I ran my tongue against the inside of my cheek, remembering the strange man again. Not the perverted un-amusing local guy in the bathroom but… the _other_ un-amusing local guy.

"Do you ever recall a strange man…? Ok, bad question, there were plenty of strange bad men we ran into yesterday… never mind," I said. I didn't want to feel like an ass if I wanted to talk about the strange man that attacked me instead of him… I didn't want to make it a case where mine was worse than his.

"The one that hurt you, right?" Ness asked. I turned my head slightly, until turning my back away from Ness.

"Yeah… _him._" I tried not to shiver from the memory of him, but I guess it couldn't be helped. When the moment of pause commenced, I looked at Ness, whom was looking off into space with this apathetic look. I frowned.

"Something you want to let out?" I asked.

"I don't know but…"

"…"

"There's something extremely familiar about him. He looked just like someone I once knew," Ness explained. It was a good thing he admitted something like this, I thought. Or else I would have tried to get it out of him instead. At least this made things a little easier.

"I see…" I replied. Ness tapped his fingers together while looking up to me as he lied on his back.

"And I'm sure you want to know some details don't you?" Ness asked. I smiled.

"It would be nice… but if it makes you uncomfortable, I'll understand," I replied. Ness closed his eyes.

"Nah… I better say it one way or the other." My thoughts then drifted to the scene again, when the man walked away from us, that sentence recorded in my mind, "_Let him abuse his power… let him use it all up."_ As soon as Ness said nothing, I spoke up.

"He seemed to care for you… slightly. Do you remember anything that happened during that fiasco before we teleported around the world?" I asked. Ness hummed to himself.

"I don't really remember… why?" He asked. "What did he do?"

"Well… he told me how to help you. To be honest Ness… it's thanks to that strange bastard that you're ok… otherwise I wasn't sure what I would have done. He said, 'Let him abuse his power… let him use it all up.' Of course this was after he already beat me again to a bloody pulp…" I winced at the thought. The more I thought about it… the more it got to me. Him helping Ness while… trying so desperately to wipe my face off the earth… My heart fluttered uncomfortably. I just knew he would return someday… either way.

"Even so…" Ness spoke as he sat up. I'm sure at this time Ness looked at how I looked away from him. We were doing that a lot all the sudden, I wondered why? My heart skipped a beat, as Ness calmly wrapped his arms around my torso to gain more nuzzling control into the nip of my neck, feeling his breath against my own. I'm sure I turned scarlet again.

"Even if he offered to help, I don't like him for how he hurt you… and even if he did help, you were the one that was there for me in the end," He spoke. My breath shook slightly, as I rest my head against his.

"Still Ness-"  
"Shhh..." I bit my lip.

"Ness… there's something I have to say, or bring up. Whoever he is, he isn't ordinary ok… he knows something, even if he looked confused. He knows something only we know… he knows about PSI," I said. Ness was quiet about this.

"And that's not something we can ignore… it's been eating me up inside me ever since I laid eyes on him… there's something I recognize about him too and... I just don't know," I said, not realizing how much my voice shook with that last part.

"Jeff stop… stay calm, ok?" Ness replied softly. The fact that Ness was still in physical contact with me didn't really help either… honestly.

"I believe you with the PSI… I think maybe when I was younger, this guy I knew that used to talk to me helped me realize PSI… at the same time, I wish he hadn't have come along. But I can't say that this man is the man from my past either," Ness explained. My thoughts drifted to Pokey's diary… possibly the same events but only in Pokey's perspective. I wanted to know Ness's perspective.

"So… what do you remember about this guy?" I asked. Ness finally removed himself from me, as a nostalgic smile crept upon him.

"He was around before Pokey became strange… and when I didn't even have Pokey to look to. I remember when it was Tracy and I by ourselves one day after school. Something happened to mom that afternoon to where she couldn't pick us up in time; so either way, we were stuck by ourselves until later in the evening. At the time it was scary for us, you know? Pokey was home; sick, and none of the other kids knew where we lived… we had to find our way on our own. Then I guess… that's when he showed up," He said. I tilted my head.

"He… didn't look that great from a distance, but when he noticed Tracy crying, he immediately came over to cheer her up when I alone failed. I forgot exactly what he did to make her smile again, but he was really kind to us… he bought us ice cream with what little change he had to spare. And I remember when we wanted to go home, instead of helping to lead the way home… he told us to lead. And in return, he protected us… even if we really didn't need it. But even so…" Ness paused in mid thought. "I felt like he knew a side of me that I was yet to discover." My frowned slightly. While Ness's description was kind of interesting… at the same time, it was almost creepy.

"I miss him. And… I really hope that the man we saw back there wasn't him…" Ness looked up to me, but instantly looked away, expressing hurt.

"…I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because…"

"… Stop saying sorry, Ness."

"If I just had listened to you before yesterday and took better care of myself… none of that would have probably ever happened…" Ness said. I frowned.

"I know you want to keep going. I understand. Just know that you scared all of us back there… especially me. I didn't know what he could have done to you back there… I couldn't take the chances, even if I was dying." Ness and I looked at each other again. Ness's mouth was now frowning, his look full of apology and something else.

"Why do you put yourself last?" He asked. I shrugged.

"It's the least I can do," I replied.

"…Well what's that got to mean?" I didn't really know.

"You know… how much of a stuck up prick I can be. It's the least I can do for you at times like that," I said, bringing my knees to my chest to put my chin on them. I looked away, into the distance… I guessed. I didn't really know what I was doing then, I just let Ness examine me. Maybe he would know.

"I think you're wrong," Ness said. I glanced at him.

"Well what do you think is the right answer?"

"You're deeper than most people I know… I think this 'putting yourself last' thing all has to link back to your mom's death… even if you don't mean it to," Ness replied. I closed my eyes after hearing him say that.

"Why do you blame yourself for your mom passing on?" Ness asked.

"Why are you asking things about my mom when _you_ haven't said _anything_ about you and Pokey?" I replied more hastily than I should have. Ness seemed to flinch from that. I had to think fast then to keep the conversation from dying all the sudden.

"S-sorry… ummm… because it was my fault." Ness hugged his knees to his chin.

"No…" Ness said. I cocked my head. My eyebrows perked up. No?

"But before I… why do you think it was your fault?" Ness asked. My fingers fumbled.

"Well… I didn't listen to my mom first off… and it was as if I led her into a trap… I'm sure that… that thing wanted to… I don't know," I finished, barely mumbling to myself. Ness was unresponsive to that.

"Well… Pokey pretty much betrayed me as a friend…" He spoke. Oh…

"Well… we all knew that much," I replied. Ness bit his lip.

"Oh yeah…" Ness spoke. A moment of pause.

"It's just such a hard situation for me… or hard decision… to decide whether Pokey is really good or if he actually is bad," Ness explained. That if he was good?

"I don't want to sound harsh Ness but… when I spoke to him… he was anything but good… if you mean nice. He was definitely good… good at being our antagonist," I said.

"He still is… I guess… but, what if Pokey really is good? What if Pokey has no idea what's going on and that everything that he's been doing was totally under Giygas's control? What if Pokey is still the good friend I remember him to be?" He went on. I bit my lip. This conversation was starting to get into an uncomfortable direction… but I couldn't help but keep pressing him forward. I was so greedy for any answers I could milk out of him. My heart fluttered with my next question.

"Did you ever… I mean, how much did you like him?" I asked. Ness took a moment, before putting his own chin on his knees and smiling to himself.

"He was the one I went to when I couldn't rely on anyone else if my mom wasn't around... which happened a few number of times actually. I think I was the only one he spoke to, which makes me feel bad for him. But even so, he was the only one that seemed to accept my strange side… not many people did that," Ness replied. Ahhh…

"Well obviously he would accept your strange side, he's…" I kept my comment in, thinking of how offensive it could have been. "Still… he seems like he's on the high end… I don't know," I said. "I don't know much about him." Ness seemed very nervous now, fiddling with the sheets, twisting them around.

"I don't like talking about my past with Pokey with anyone because I don't really understand half of the things he did… but… I think I've gotten a better idea. I guess since… I can trust you and all…" He continued. I frowned slightly.

"Only talk about it if you feel safe doing so… even if I'm not the right person for you to vent to, I think you should vent to someone… let someone else know what's happened so at least we have a little ground on what's been going on…" I said. Ness was silent again.

"I've kinda felt spoiled around him I guess… I think that's part of the reason why Pokey grew jealous of me. I don't blame him though… I've always known that since his father helped mine in our financial issues, that he abused him…his father is really scary when he's mad. I remember the first day that it happened when Pokey came to my house shaking. He had a bloody nose, cuts and bruises, and a pretty big bump on his head. When I gave him some ice, he said that his father just raged out at him with one of the already burning frying pans. I had never seen him or anyone cry like he did. I didn't know what to do for him… it was a scary situation for the both of us… I remember him begging me to heal him with whatever 'powers' I had at the time… I didn't know what PSI was then… so I had no idea what he was talking about_. 'Use those same powers you used when I got hit by that car, remember? You helped me then, and now you're saying you're unable to help me now?'_ He'd beg me." Ness put his forehead in his palms. I kept silent… but wow. When Ness spoke again, he almost mumbled, but I could still hear him since the room was relatively quiet, and the loud bustling outdoors were blocked by the shut windows.

"After a few weeks, it wasn't too bad, but they would have their moments… Pokey and his dad I mean. Pokey would come over more often, more than I wanted. He was starting to become almost needing and possessive around me, invading my space, but I let him, I knew he was just trying to get away from his dad. But… now that I know about him and Giygas… or Giegue, which is what he used to call him, it makes more sense now. _'Ness, I think I might be gaining some sort of power myself. Gi- I mean, I've been getting the sensation that there's a way out of this and that I can get some of the love and respect I deserve,'_ he said one day. I was really happy about his confidence at the time, even though I didn't know what he was talking about, but overall… the more verbal and physical his dad became, the more he smiled…" Ness said, before taking in a breath. He was becoming noticeably shaky, in his voice as well. And while everything that he just said was interesting and valuable information… the name _Giegue_ stuck into my mind more.

"And… it went on like this until something came up one morning. When we met up to walk to school one morning… He was wearing a pink dress," Ness gulped. My eyes went wide as I cocked my head. _What?_

"His dad… made him wear a pink dress to school?" I asked, bewildered. Ness sighed. What the heck?

"… His mom was out of town that week… to visit her family for something. So it was just Pokey and him that week… it was the most unpleasant week either of us had to endure… and I don't know whether to forgive him or not," Ness said. "But… even so, there were those strange moments when he smiled to himself. He always tried to hide it from the others who pointed and laughed at him, but I could always tell from afar. I tried my best not to let Tracy see… so I told her to go hang out with someone else afterschool that day. But I guess it didn't matter, because the whole school knew by that time, after being dragged to the school office. Of course, since Pokey was bigger at the time, they had no clothes he could fit in to change… they didn't know how to deal with it. But Pokey did his best to lie, and told them that it was his choice. He tried his best to hide his scars, he really did, but I'm sure they noticed. It was that night when he threw rocks at my window and demanded me to come down to meet him. So I did… and I made sure to bring an ice pack too…

And when I saw him… he was yet again bruised… and I could see pink hand-prints all over his skin and on his face… _'You… you're wearing a skirt tomorrow too. You'll wear one… you'll wear one, or else if you don't, I'll… I'll…I…" _ At this point, Ness's eyes were watered up. He didn't finish Pokey's sentence… he didn't have to at the time. And to be honest… I didn't have the stomach for what he needed to say then.

"_So I… I did…"_ He tried continuing. _"I…"_

_"Ness…"_ I spoke softer than I thought I would. I shuddered to think exactly how his day went that next morning… I shivered violently, as I looked at Ness, who was looking away from me with his chin on his knees and his arms crossed under his nose, watery eyes as he sniffed.

"Ness…" A big part of me felt guilt then. Obviously, this must not have been the only thing that happened in their past. I felt frightened now… frightened of the little black leather book that was still lingering in the depths of my bag.

All I could do then was wrap my arms around him, pacifying him to myself. There was no comparison between us… but here we were, coping with everything that has happened to us so far… I could feel Ness's breath hitch. I stroked his hair. But as Ness seemed to have no response to my embrace so far… I started to let go, only to find him hammering his embrace back to mine, the moment I lost his contact. My glasses came out of line, as I looked at the shivering boy next to me, forehead buried in my shoulder as his fingers grasped my shirt. Returning the gesture, we stayed like that for another elapsed set of time.

"Did… did you listen…?" He asked At first, his voice confused me with what it said but at the same time, I understood. I smiled slightly, resting my chin on his head. _Of course…_ I thought.

"Every last word of it," I replied. "I'll… I'll keep it safe." After a few more moments of our embrace, Ness finally broke it, bringing the back of his knuckles to caress his flooding eyes.

"Good… you're right… venting feels nice once and a while…" Ness sniffed, as he looked down at the covers. I smiled, lifting his chin, while my other hand whipped off any lingering tears on his cheeks. I must have taken him by surprise. I chuckled at this.

"See? This was exactly how I felt when you let me spill my thoughts out to you in the hospital… remember? After all… you were the first person in the entire universe that's heard me vent before… but…" I said, taking my hands from his face. "Did he… really force you into doing something like that? That's…" I wanted to say it was selfish, disgusting… heartless of him. But after Ness saying that he didn't know what to think of the situation, I didn't add it in. Ness could only nod, looking down. I frowned at this, letting my forehead rest against his own.

"Well… whatever he… or Giygas is planning to do now… they won't pursue it. We'll stop them. I guarantee… I promise he won't get away with anything," I told him. Ness tried to look up to me, but he couldn't for some reason. Shyness? Shame? I didn't know.

"Are… aren't you scared?" Ness asked. My lip curved down slightly.

"Why would you ask a silly question out of the blue like that…?" I asked, chuckling nervously. Ness paused for a moment. Curiosity got the best of me.

"And… scared of what?" I asked again, cocking my head slightly, making my forehead shift against his. Ness looked up to me finally, in the eyes, but almost immediately closed them, just to escape mine. There was something about this pause… something suspicious about it.

"Ness… if you're trying to tell me something, please say. I know it's hard but…" I told him. "At this point, it could mean saving a life… dozens of them." Ness bit his lip.

Something was definitely on his mind. This made me completely and utterly nervous, being because of the vibe he gave off… that sense of nervousness about him, and I could feel it against my head… my mind.

"If this has to do with… what happened between you and me, please say something so I don't make an ass of myself later," I asked. Ness shook his head slightly.

"It has nothing to do with us," He replied. At least he was starting to admit that he was keeping _something _from me… but what?

"Ok…" I said, finally removing my forehead from his. Ness whined in protest slightly by this. I wondered why…?

"N- never mind Jeff, my sickness is probably making me act weird again…"

"Ness, please be honest with me, at least with this. Why won't you tell me?" I asked.

"…"

"…"

"…I don't think you're ready to know _it_," He spoke. I cocked my head. Know _it…_? Know _what?_

Before I could say anything else, the door in the hotel room opened. Both of us reacted, a little too much, as I jumped off of the twin sized bed, landing on the floor uncomfortably on my tail bone. Ness didn't fall off, but he pulled the covers over his torso, for one reason or the other.

"House-keeping?" The lady at the door asked. I scratched my head.

"Uhhh… yeah, just the bathroom please," I responded. The lady smiled at the two of us, not noticing for some reason that I got up from the floor in an awkward fashion. I looked down to Ness, rubbing the back of my neck as I gave him a small smile.

"Maybe you should go find Paula and Kato," Ness said.

"And leave you un-attended? I don't think so," I responded.

"You could always call them and ask for them to come over here then," He said.

"Hmmm I guess. But there's no rush… I mean there's nothing much we have to do right now… well while you're like this I mean." Ness shrugged.

"Well if you bring the phone here I can call them," He said.

"Do you really want to?" I asked. Ness chuckled.

"You make it sound like you don't _want_ them here," He spoke in a persuasive voice. I snorted.

"I… I just don't see what the rush is, ya know? So… there's no rush to call the others here, unless if you really want them to come," I said, feeling slightly flustered. _What a dumb thing you just said!_ Even so, when I looked at Ness as he decided to lie on his stomach, another happy smile was crossed on his face.

"That's so cute," He laughed lightly. I blushed.

"How do you find _that_ cute?" I asked. Ness could only stare at me as I looked down back at him, and when I could feel my cheeks heat up even more, his mouth curved up farther with half lidded eyes. I turned around quickly.

"Ugh uhh… well, erm-" My voice shook, which embarrassed me further. _How great,_ I thought. Ness let off a chuckle.

"We don't need the others to come, if you really don't want them to," He responded. _Was he starting to come onto me again?_

"Do we really have to talk like this when the…"

"Is there anything else you need?" The nanny spoke to me. Practically jumping, I felt my glasses fall off my nose. Quickly catching them, I turned around quickly in a panic, practically shoving them back into my face.

"I-erm… no, that will be all, thank you," I told her. The nanny nodded, taking one last glance at us.

"Have a good day," She said, walking out of the room. By the time she walked out, Ness started to laugh. I probably looked pouty by then.

"_S'not funny…"_ I said.

"Yahuh," He responded cheekily. I let off a staggered breath.

"Fine fine, I'll call them. Now that I'm too flustered to function… that makes _perfect_ sense, right?" I mumbled the last bit to myself, as I dialed on the phone.

However, right when I called the room, there was a knock at the door, right as the phone was ringing on the other line. As the small pause commenced, the door knocked again.

"I'll get it," Ness said, as he got out of his bed.

"Wait, Ness, can you-" But before I could put the phone down, Ness was already halfway to the door before he caught himself from falling with the corner of the wall. Ness gasped slightly, as he regained his footing. I sighed, walking up beside him.

"You dope, you're still not recovered all the way," I told him, helping him settle correctly on his feet before opening the door myself as I could hear Paula's voice on the other side.

Paula and Kato were both holding food items, Paula carrying a cold pitcher of what looked like iced tea and Kato carrying a tray with a small pot of soup and crackers. Paula graced us with her smile.

"Soup and tea?" Paula asked.

"For the crippled one?" Kato continued smirking. I chuckled into my hand, glancing back at Ness.

"But I'm not crippled…" Ness said tilting his head before letting go of the wall and taking another step before his body decided to want to tumble again, catching him almost instantly.

"You should go back into bed Ness," I told him smiling. Ness looked at Paula and Kato before me, frowning.

"Do I really have to? I think I'm feeling better…" I instantly put my palm against his forehead, which must have taken him by surprise the way he blinked.

"Nah, you feel a little warm still. Like I've been saying, no rush right?" I said as I started leading back to bed.

"But I'm feeling much better than I did yesterday though, really!" Ness responded. Kato placed the tray on the dresser.

"That's great news Ness, but like Jeff said, I think it's best to rest a little longer, just to be safe," Kato spoke. Ness let off a protesting whine.

"Besides, I'm sure you'd love to have a small break from your adventures anyways," Paula said, pouring a cup of tea for him as I tucked him into bed.

"But we were just at my mom's house not long ago…" Ness mentioned.

"Pffft, I wasn't at your house," Kato said as he brought over the tray. "Don't spill this, it's pretty hot still."

"But… I'm not hungry," Ness said.

"Don't be silly, you haven't eaten since yesterday morning, you need something to nourish you, you'll feel much better faster," Paula said, placing the glass of tea next to his stand. Ness looked into his chicken noodle soup before picking up the spoon with a blank but incredulous expression. However, I wasn't sure if it was the sickness talking of the fact that he was nervous with the three of us staring at him, but his hand shook, as he tried to scoop up a little soup. But before he could even get the spoon over the bowl, all the bit in his spoon spilled over. I sighed, walking over.

"Clearly you need nutrients, but your body already forgot how to consume it," I half-joked, as I took the spoon from him and scooped some up.

"Open," I said. Ness cocked his head.

"Wha-" Right when he was about to say something, I managed to sneak the spoon past his lips. Ness's cheeks seemed to rose up, furrowing his eyebrows grumpily at me as he accepted the soup. I could only smile at his cute pouty expression. Withdrawing the spoon, I scooped up some more as I leaned in to wipe Ness's lips. Ness was clearly taken aback.

"Do you guys really have to pamper me like a prince all at once?" Ness asked as he tried sinking back into the pillows.

"Until you can hold a spoon steadily yourself, yes," Kato said, as he sat down in the chair to drink a bottle of water. "Of course, we can't touch you yet." Ness's frown deepened as I awaited for him to open his mouth again.

"Well… it's kind of embarrassing," Ness said, as his cheeks seemed to flare up again as I tried feeding him more soup. "Like Jeff said… no rush, right?" Ness spoke before he shyly accepted another spoonful of soup, keeping his eyes averted from mine. This was cute, I thought.

"Just eat, you dope. It'll go by quicker," I told him, and as he turned his head towards me, I managed to get another spoonful into his mouth. Ness narrowed his eyes at me slightly. I didn't really seem to think about exactly what was happening then, right in front of Kato and Paula. I was feeding him, and I seemed to enjoy it, while Ness seemed utterly uncomfortable with the situation. It didn't really hit me, until Paula spoke up.

"So, how were things over here last night?" She asked. Ness spit out his soup while I practically dropped the spoon.

"I-er-smoothly. Everything went smoothly," I spoke_. Smooth one, Jeff, _I thought. Paula and Kato looked at each other blankly. When both looked back, a smile was barely visible on Paula's expression. I fumbled immediately when I picked up the spoon.

"Nothing bad or… unusual happened to us last night," I said. When I looked back down at Ness, he looked back up at me; extremely pouty, with narrowed eyes and cheeks puffed out. His entire complexion now was pink. I sighed.

"Where did you sleep, Jeff?" Kato asked. I bit the inside of my cheek.

"The floor," I replied. Kato smirked slightly.

"That explains why you're so stiff," He said. Yeah _right…_ I cleared my throat.

"Well… so what now?" I asked, bringing another spoon to Ness's lips, in which he accepted, shyly. "We still need to go to… how many locations?" I really had no idea, or I didn't remember.

"Eight total, for Ness to realize all of his PSI ability," Kato said. "I'm sure we have maybe about three more places to go, according to the three of you." Paula and I both looked at Ness, whom was attempting to scoop up another spoonful of soup, trying very hard not to pay attention to any of us.

"The question is, where to now?" I asked. "Is it across the sea for us? I mean, we were just in Scaraba, I wouldn't see why we couldn't go there," I said.

"We would have to double check that we aren't forgetting something behind though. That'll be a long journey, it'll seem pretty endless once we get going," Kato remarked. My shoulders sunk slightly, looking down to Ness, whom was about to put the spoon in his mouth with a shaky arm.

"What are you doing?" I chuckled pretty quietly, as I helped him by gently taking his hand to guide the soup to his lips. As soon as he swallowed, he pushed the soup away.

"I think I'm done for now…" Ness spoke quietly.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Well… it's kind of awkward for someone to be feeding me right now," He spoke. I sighed.

"Alright alright, we should just let you rest then," I said. "But you're going to eat some more later, you need it." Of course, we both knew exactly why Ness didn't want any more soup. It was just way too soon for us to act this close, even in front of Paula and Kato. A small twinge of guilt past through me as I saw him sink into his pillows. But what else was I to do? Kato nor Paula could touch him, and Ness struggled to eat for himself. It made me worry again slightly, he was once more lively and now he seemed slightly weaker than usual, especially after he told me more about Pokey and his past. I had to do something.

"At least take this in the meantime, Ness," Kato spoke, as he picked up a small pill jar, and handing him what seemed to be a multi-vitamin. Ness looked at the pill lazily, before plopping it into his mouth, and swallowing it. When he reached for his glass of tea, I gently got it for him, but I let him take his own sip. Ness sighed before looking around the room at all three of us.

"I'm sorry." I rolled my eyes.

"Stop saying-"

"No really… I am. I should have been more mature about the situations we were in yesterday. I should have taken better care of myself. Then you guys wouldn't have worried as much, and I wouldn't have risked anything bad with any of you…" He said, looking up at me one last time, before looking down in shame. "Now you all have to wait around for me to get better… I'm sorry." Randomly out of nowhere, the magical butterfly from before decided to flutter back around to land on Ness's head. I didn't know what to say besides my usual, 'don't say sorry' tactic.

Paula smiled, walking over to Ness's bedside, and did something that she was supposedly not supposed to do.

"It's ok, we forgive you," Paula spoke happily, as she wrapped her arms around him to embrace him. A lot of us were taken aback at this. But however, the embrace did nothing bad… at least not on the spot.

"Paula,"- Kato and I were slightly alarmed by this. She just disregarded what we were so uptight about before, was she sure that it was ok?

"I… I thought we weren't supposed to stay in contact," Ness said. Paula broke the embrace slightly, but she kept her hands placed on the sides of his arms.

"I don't sense any kind conflicting energy from you anymore… plus you're thinking… a _little _more logically now. I think the PSI bit of the fever died away and became just a fever," She smiled. Ness tilted his head.

"If… you say so," He said.

"How do you know that?" I asked. Kato hummed to himself.

"Now that she mentions it, I don't feel so repulsed around you like I did last night. A small step but an important one."

"Jeff, whatever you did, good job," Paula looked to me and winked. A small shiver, but a noticeable one, crept up my spine as I glanced away from her convincing grin.

"Yeah…" I breathed in. "Don't thank me, thank the guy that tired to kill me," I said. "I'm pretty sure that if he didn't give us the advice, something worse would be happening right now."

"I'd have to disagree with you," Ness said. "After all, you were with me, so what could have gone wrong?" He said, smiling. For some reason, rather than blushing a lot again, I became perplexed.

"That's funny… I was starting to wonder if I was becoming a dead weight to the three of you," I said.

"Don't be silly. We understand that you aren't capable with PSI, but at the same time you help with the small things that none of us can do," Paula said. I shrugged slowly.

"Like what…?" I asked.

"Like yesterday," Ness said. I could only tilt my head.

"But before that… I don't know," I said, turning around rubbing the back of my neck.

"You have good motives, Jeff. And a lot of them have been successful," Paula said. Like what?

"I don't know you well enough, but good job at keeping Ness safe from pretty much every threat you came across the previous day," Kato added randomly.

"And thanks for being there… for me," Ness said. My heart fluttered slightly. Did… did they really think I wasn't useless like I've always thought? For some reason…

"Jeff?" Paula said, noticing my long pause. But for some reason, I still couldn't turn around, as my mind was still struggling with the topic. When Paula walked in front of me to see me, her lips parted.

"Jeff… you're crying…" She said. Was I? I brought my fingers to my cheek, and sure enough, there was a moist touch.

"Oh… I didn't notice," I said, voice not sounding like myself. Paula frowned sympathetically.

"I just… I just didn't see it coming."

"Jeff…" Ness said. However, I didn't look back to him. I didn't want him to see me like this, I thought. Not while he was still helpless in bed.

"Why don't you get some fresh air, Jeff?" Paula suggested. I could only nod.

"Good idea…" I said, walking to the door. But before I turned the knob, I paused again. I turned around.

"I… I'm sorry. You guys just touched me is all…" I said, before turning the knob.

"Jeff-," I heard Ness say before I closed the door, leaning on it, to sigh. I could hear the three of them in the room still.

"Why did he get so sad all the sudden…" Ness spoke in a sad tone.

"Did I say something bad?" Kato said.

"I'm sure you didn't… I think this goes deeper than anything you could have said, Kato," Paula said. I could only smile to myself, as I started to walk down the hall to find a drinking fountain.

"I try believing in you guys more often now…" I mumbled to myself.

xxxxx

_When I was waking up in the hospital room, I didn't have much thought besides what had happened. I didn't know, but from what I assumed, I had been hit by some sort of car that must have swerved out of control. However…_

_ If I was hit by a car, then wouldn't I be in horrible pain then? Couldn't I have died? Even my doctors seemed to be puzzled, I thought. How could I have survived something like that?_

_Or better off… why did I survive? The doctor noticed my awake state, and walked to me._

"_We don't know how this is possible, but after putting you through numerous exams, we've found absolutely no internal or external injuries with your body… do you feel ok nonetheless?" He asked me. _

_Of course, I said nothing to him. _

_Because when I looked at him, his face seemed to fade. Something else replaced it._

_Something I didn't quite understand._

"_Well… just in case, you can stay here for another night," He told me. "You have a visitor by the way, I'll send him up here right away._

_When the doctor left, I just stared out into blank space again…_

"_Do you know the person who was driving the car at the time of the accident?" The nurse asked outside the room._

"_Don't tell the boy, but we believe it to be his father."_

xxxxx

After I took a drink from the fountain, I decided to go downstairs, to step outside, just for a brief moment, to take in the fresh-polluted air of Fourside. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong, I thought.

I wasn't sure if my cheeks were still covered in tears or not, they felt slightly drier, but at the same time I didn't check in the bathroom or in a mirror. I was in a strange mood, it was a mood where I was kind of happy, and I didn't want to see my expression convincing me otherwise.

When I opened the hotel doors and stepped out for the first time that day, I took in the air through my nostrils, closing my eyes.

But when I finally did open them, I could feel my heart flutter again. I was alone. Outside in Fourside. For about ten seconds but I could feel the strands of hair on my neck turn up. It didn't hit me that I could have been easily targetable… targetable to the man that wanted to kill me. I shivered violently, grabbing my shoulders. Did Ness feel like this all the time because of… his past? There was more to his past, more than I will ever have. That was just it, I thought. While Ness had this deep and dark past, I didn't really have any past… any that I could remember. When my fear took a hold of me, I immediately turned around to get inside again and seek Ness and the others. Worst of all- I had to make sure that Pokey's journal was out of Ness's reach.

"You sure you had enough air?" I heard a familiar voice say. I gasped slightly, turning my head at bullet speed around me, trying to find the source of the voice. Relief came over me when I spotted it.

Kato was casually leaning against the brick wall, looking out across the street. I got a good full view of his attire. The embroidery on his white sleeveless shirt and black pants were made out of golden thread, forming swirls of gold and occasional bursts of stars. His hair braided- reached his mid back. I studied the scar that went down the left side of his face, down the center of his white, hawk-like eye. How did he get here before me? Kato's black and white eye drifted to mine.

"You look really bewildered," He smirked.

"Well… yeah, how did you get out here already?" I asked. Kato shrugged.

"Easily… for me that is." Ahhh.

"I see…" I said. Was he up to something, or…?

"Well, I'm sure you don't know why I'm out here with you, I didn't need to come. But I decided that it would be best if I escorted you," He said. Escort? I cocked my head.

"I don't need an escort… to get back upstairs?" Kato held in a snicker.

"We're going on a little errand, you and I. Paula suggested it. Didn't really consider it at first, but in a sense it should work out. You'll get your air and I'll get my education," He said, already walking away. I paused for a second, looking at his back drifting away from me.

"Hey wait, where are you going?" I asked, catching up to him.

"A place called the department store, do you know where that is?" He asked. I froze for a split second. I hadn't been there since before I confronted Pokey… what a nightmare that place was. But then I thought since… well since Pokey was gone, maybe it wouldn't be as bad for a re-visit.

"You had complications there didn't you?" He asked.

"Yeah… a while back," I replied. Kato smiled.

"Well we'll just have to be sure to avoid those complications," He replied. I paused again.

"By the way… this isn't exactly the quickest way to get there," I said.

"Oh?" I bit my lip. This was awkward, I thought.

"Yeah… we should go this way," I told him. Kato smiled.

"Aight. This is another reason why you're tagging along, you know areas like this more than me," He said.

"I don't really know these kinds of areas well myself though… but ok." And after that we walked in silence for a while, passing a few blocks along the way. At the edge of my mind, I was still paranoid.

"So… to be educated?" I randomly asked.

"Yeah."

"…What?" Kato breathed in.

"So why is it harder to breath here than where I came from?" He asked. My mouth curved down.

"Pollution… do you know what that is?" I asked.

"Not really." Oh…

"Well… there are a lot of causes for it, but a common example is the smog and the exhaust coming out of the cars here, out in the back. The smog gets in the air, and that's what makes it harder to breathe in," I explained. Kato hummed.

"What's a department store?" I snorted randomly, trying not to sound offensive.

"What's so funny?" He asked. I couldn't keep in my chuckle.

"N-nothing," I said. I understood what he meant by 'education' after that question.

"It's just a place for local residents to buy products and groceries. But… you didn't know what it was before, and you were headed there? Did you even have a plan as to why you wanted to go?" I asked.

"It's you that wants to go," He said. I cocked my head again. This guy was…

"Paula said it was best that I take you there, to get a 'gift' for Ness… I guess it would be from the two of us maybe," He said. Oh… I thought. I kept myself from blushing again, but… she didn't happen to know that Ness and I…

"Is that ok with you?" Kato asked, stopping to look at me. Snapping me back to reality, I stuttered slightly.

"Well… I already have something I want to give him," I replied.

"Hmmm?" Crap, I said too much.

"Erm… just a… something I fixed for him. Something that he broke one time during combat," I lied slightly. Kato however cocked his head at me. I could only smile nervously.

"Was this recent?" He asked.

"No no, it happened a while back," I replied. Kato nodded as we continued.

"May I ask what it is?" He asked. I was afraid he'd ask that.

"Ah… just a pocket knife," I lied again.

"You're lying." My heart stammered.

"How…" Kato turned around and smirked at me.

"Clearly you're faltering right now because this conversation is making you nervous," He said. "I can tell with my very own eyes." I exhaled.

"I… I see… ok, if you must know, it's a yo-yo, but that's all I'm telling you." Kato chuckled slightly.

"Haha, ok. Just tell him not to break it again when you give it to him," He said as we waited to cross the street with a crowd of people. Most of them at least glanced Kato over once, the kids and some of the girls were the ones that looked the most.

"Why are we standing with this group of people we don't even know?" Kato whispered to me. I groaned inwardly. This would be constantly annoying if he kept asking questions. _Pretty soon he's going to ask things like why the sky is blue,_ I thought.

"We're waiting to cross the street. See? The cars are still driving so we can't cross yet," I told him. Kato sighed, as we waited a few more seconds.

"Well… this is boring," He said. I could only nod, side glancing him for a split second, until he caught me off guard as he grabbed my hand.

"Let's try getting there in an alternative fashion," He told me as he dragged me out of the small crowd. Kato's grip was really strong, I thought embarrassingly.

"_Ahh_, what are you doing? This is the way to the department store!" I told him, trying to pry my hand from his. But as we turned the corner, his footsteps started to pace faster.

"You said you knew the way to get there, right?" He asked.

"Well yeah, if you let me direct you!" I replied. I could see his smirk, as he glanced down at me again, as he grasped my hand tighter. _Ouch_, I thought, how strong was he?

"Then that's all we need," Kato said before we started to pace rapidly.

_"Kato!"_ I exclaimed as we took off running like bolts of lightning through the back streets and alleyways that I've traveled through.

And suddenly, here we were, I thought ten seconds after we halted in front of the department store. My glasses fell out of line as my hair felt like it was sticking up. Kato started to laugh slightly, looking at my expression.

"You look so stunned Jeff," He said. I rubbed my head, which almost felt like swaying.

"You- you could have _warned_ me you were going to teleport before randomly dragging me off like that… I had a lot of random teleporting yesterday, I'm kinda not in the mood for it today," I said feeling my head swaying again. Kato however seemed to ignore my state of dizziness by putting a strong hand on my shoulder.

"Ah, come on, cheer up, we're here aren't we? The sooner we get what we need done, the sooner we can get back to the hotel and you can sleep till your heart is content," He said, walking in front of me up the stairs. I could only look blankly at him.

"I don't need anything here, Kato… I already told you what I wanted to give him, why do we have to be here? And it's not like I have any money…"

"We'll get something else then," Kato said waving Ness's atm card in my direction. My jaw dropped as he winked down to me.

"That's not… a very giving thing to do!" I stated. Kato shrugged.

"Paula was the one that gave it to me for the time being." Kato smiled before heading into the building again without me. I sighed in defeat. Kato seemed pretty happy, I thought. I wondered what he was like when he was mad? A part of me didn't want to find this out.

"I thought you were supposed to be escorting me, not dragging me all over the place…" I grumbled angrily to myself while I caught up.

When we were greeted at the doors, a small twinge of bad nostalgia came back as I looked at the escalators in front of us and how I remembered myself dragging a critically injured Ness down them. Kato seemed to be following the crowd, and he didn't really seem to know exactly what he was doing. I ran up to him.

"Kato, it's useless if we go ahead without withdrawing any cash!" I told him before he stepped on the escalator. Kato's cheeks were sucked in.

"What?"

"Eh… here let me see it," I told him snatching the atm card out of his hand. Hopefully he didn't take it the wrong way. When both of us approached the machine, there was already a man in front of us grumbling about his finances, before hitting the machine and stomping off. When we both approached the machine, we both paused. Studying the machine… I guess I knew what to do. After a moment of pause, Kato spoke up.

"Aren't you supposed to be some sort of acclaimed genius?" Kato asked. I bit my lip.

"Where'd you get that idea?" I asked nervously, swiping the card in. Pretty soon, the screen popped up with the next instructions.

"A code…? Crap, Ness knows the code!" I said, slapping my forehead. "Alright, now that we know we can't buy anything, can't we just go-" Kato ushered me aside as he punched in a 4-digit code. When the machine accepted, Kato's smile spread.

"How much should we withdraw?" He asked. I cocked my head.

"How do you know the code?" I asked, feeling slightly left out.

"Paula told it to me," He replied. I scratched my head.

"They never told me… ah, whatever, I don't care how much you take out, but not over 30," I told him. Kato waited for a moment. It took me a second, but once I realized that he was waiting for me, I sighed, as I punched in the digits for him. As soon as the machine spit out the cash, I claimed it, putting the cash in my shirt pocket.

"Alright alright… so what now?" I asked. "I'm kinda feeling guilty for leaving Paula and Ness at the hotel…" I said, as Kato took off the escalator without me. I shook my head.

"Why do you keep walking off without me?" I asked. Kato however was busy looking at the escalator as it went up. Apparently an impatient man waited behind him.

"You know, you either can go up or not, but if you aren't, let the people that do want to go up go ahead please," The man said, making his way up the escalator. Kato put his hand to his chin.

"Your culture has weird ways of transportation," He said. I snorted.

"It's because most of us don't have teleporting powers like you do,"- As I finished my sentence, Kato grabbed my sleeve again, as we both ascended the escalator. When I claimed myself back, I glanced back up at him awkwardly.

"Usually in my culture, if you want to get somewhere, you just get there… we never really needed moving platforms or rules to guide us there," He said. I sighed.

"It's more convenient, especially if some people have physical conditions. That's why we have elevators too," I said. He breathed out of his nose.

"What are those?" He asked. My mouth curved down as I raised an eyebrow.

"Eh… never mind." Kato only nodded. The second floor consisted of the cafeteria, and the door that lead to the weapons store. Kato seemed to let me guide the way finally, probably at a loss of what to do himself, but the problem was, I didn't really want or need to be here in the first place! It kind of made me nervous.

"Is there anything you'd like to do?" I asked, trying not to look at him for too long.

"Well… I'm not very fond of your cultures food so…" I sighed, straightening my glasses.

"Do you want to go to the drinking fountain?" I asked. His eyebrows perked up.

"You have water-dispensing devices as well?" He asked. I chucked slightly.

"Yeah, I suppose we do. What a coincidence…" Glancing up at Kato again, he seemed to be keeping a close eye on me. _Why_, I thought. I glanced back away from him, but it was only in a matter of moments when Kato leaned his head closer towards my face.

"Even if you don't need to buy anything for anything else, I'm sure you might want to buy something for yourself," He told me. His random closeness was startling, as I took a step backwards.

"Uhh… except we only took out thirty dollars and my appliances are pretty above that cost," I replied. His mouth curved down slightly. Turning around away from his view, I rubbed the back of my head from the awkward moment.

"Erm…" My eyes drifted to the top, as I spotted a flower sale on the next floor.

"We could always get some flowers," I told him smiling. Kato shrugged his shoulders.

"You're in charge, I'm just being your body guard after all," He said. I chuckled.

"You didn't really act like it just before. Besides, I can fend for myself… like you guys said back there; I'm not _that_ useless… am I?" I asked. Kato let out a small laugh.

"You aren't equipped," He said. _Oh yeah…_ I didn't reply. I spotted the bouquets of flowers as I made my way there, to try and spot a bunch out that would look nice. A lot of them were pretty bouquets, but some were overpriced, mainly the arrangements of roses. My eyes peered out for a bunch that looked similar to my measly five daisies that I bought off of the random man on the street. My shoulders steadily sunk as my eyes couldn't seek out any flowers with the similar colors or the navy blue. _Even just one navy blue flower_… I thought.

"Never mind…" I said, walking away. "There's nothing I really want to get him here…" I said, as my eyes locked onto something behind the glass on the counter. I froze for a second in time. Kato seemed to observe this. It was a small assortment of wrenches that I saw here the last time we were in the store. My mouth curved down. _This wasn't the time to get something for yourself_, I thought. But sure enough, when it was bluntly obvious to Kato, he ushered me to the counter. This was really starting to weird me out, I thought. On the other hand though…

"It looks nice…" I said quietly. Apparently, it was on clearance- priced at twenty dollars.

"Would those aid you in some way?" Kato asked. I looked up and shrugged.

"It's not like I totally need them, I have my own tool box… even though it's slightly limited at the moment…" My voice trailed off.

"To build and fix things?" He asked. I rubbed my neck.

"It's not like I've had much time nor energy to actually fix anything with you guys but… I did enjoy fixing and building things back in Winters… it helped me think and keep my mind off of my problems," I said smiling nostalgically thinking back at those nights with Tony and I staying up together. Kato soon snapped me out of my reverie.

"May we buy this?" Kato asked the lady at the counter. I became baffled.

"No no, that's Ness's money, don't waste it on me!" I said, waving my hands in front of me. However, as embarrassing it was, Kato made it even more-so as he suddenly grabbed one of my wrists gently to gain access to the cash in my shirt pocket. Not meaning to, I flushed slightly, as he took out the two ten dollar bills.

"The fact that you aren't really fighting back either means you're paranoid about any form of violence today, you really do want the tool set, or both," He said in a lighter tone, handing the woman the cash as he got the arrangement set of wrenches wrapped delicately in a blue plastic sleeve that could fold and button like a wallet. He dangled the set between us.

"You really do need to realize that if you don't think of your priorities more, you're also bringing ours down, as harsh as that may sound. But on a lighter tone, if you think about what you need and maybe want a little bit more and actually work to obtain them, or even just ask, maybe in the end you won't feel like such a dead weight to us. Think about it. Sure, maybe you're a bit smarter than I am, but all three of us have magical abilities. As much as you think Ness is the most vulnerable one right now, you're not much better off. You don't have much to fend off with anyways right now, so if you think a simple tool set can help you right now, then why not? Ness didn't tell us the atm number to us for nothing, he cares for us and our needs, and we care for his," Kato explained, dropping the set into my hands. Baffled by his long speech, I looked down at the set of tools in my hands. As much as I would have liked to believe him, I frowned to myself.

"Yeah but… I always feel bad using others to obtain personal gain… I don't think it's right," I said. Kato frowned slightly.

"Don't you ever think about what others want to do for _you_ rather than seeing it as stealing?" He asked. I looked at my tools again, gaining the feeling that I didn't really want to let go of them, but the feeling was unsettling still. Kato sighed.

"Anyways, it felt good while it lasted. I never felt like I was able to do that much back home… let's see what else this place has to offer," Kato smiled to me. I looked at him blankly. Why was he being so generous all the sudden?

"Hey… you ok?" Kato raised an eyebrow waving his hand in front of my face.

"Ah… yes…" Kato smiled.

"Aight, show me more of your culture," He said, walking towards the next set of escalators. A small smile crept up on me. It was as if the mysterious violent Kato I met the first night was gone… he had been steadily disappearing, but it was the first time I really noticed it.

"Kato?" Kato looked back at me, as I walked up beside him.

"Don't ever do that again," I replied, smiling up to him. Kato smirked at me. I was sure he understood that I was thanking him.

xxxxx

The rest of the time was kind of boring, at least to me. Kato seemed to be interested in this whole "different culture" thing. It was ironically funny how the two of us would switch the escort role once and a while. It made me laugh a little, to see him struggle with our culture's way of life. Though, admittedly, I was a bit alarmed when he took one of the display baseball bats and swung it around, as if he was in combat.

"What are you _doing?_ You'll get us kicked out!" I said, dodging out of his way as he swung the baseball bat towards me.

"I'm testing it for Ness; I didn't realize they sold combat weapons for him here too!" He replied. I growled.

"It's a _baseball bat!_- Ack, _no don't hit that!"_ I said stopping him by grabbing his wrist. Kato looked down at me.

"You'll get us kicked out Kato, let me put it back," I sighed. Kato was un-responsive, and he didn't quite understand the situation apparently, but I was thankful that he actually let me; he really seemed serious about hitting something with it! I had shivered when I put the bat back, receiving some awkward glances in the process.

Well… besides the baseball bat incident, it was kind of amusing. Seeing him touch the collection of soft plush animals, he seemed mesmerized by the texture I guess. He grabbed a purple bear with a dark purple bow tie and he showed it to me.

"Would this aid Ness in his quest?" Kato asked, almost with puppy eyes, as he squished the bear again. On the corner of my eyes I could see a mother and a group of kids looking and pointing at Kato's strange appearance. I chuckled slightly.

"Maybe for distraction purposes… you really want to get it?" I asked. Kato turned the bear's face towards him as he tired focusing into the eyes of the stuffed animal. _Really?_ A look of empathy appeared on his face.

"It's very cute," He added. I snorted.

"Hah… yes, I suppose so," I replied. Kato again ran his fingers through the plush fabric of the stuffed toy.

"I wonder what it could be used for?" He asked. I smiled slightly.

"I don't know… comfort?" I said. He kept looking into the stuffed animal… so strangely, I thought. He looked serious, as if he was trying to focus deeply on something as he gazed into it. I sighed.

"We'll get it… but that's it, I wanna get back, I feel guilty as it is playing ditch with you," I said, taking the ten out of my pocket and handing it to the employee. As I did so, I caught a glimpse of the door that led to the room where the alien hurt Ness and I. A small shiver went down my spine as I remembered that. I turned around, and Kato was holding his forehead, for some weird reason. I cocked my head.

"You ok?" I asked. Kato took a small moment to close his eyes.

"Kato…?" Kato looked down at me again, slowly taking his hand away. He was holding the stuffed animal by the arm, like a little kid would.

"Yes… I'm fine," He replied. I soon noticed that he was holding something else. Something that looked like a stone. Though it looked slightly different, it reminded me of the sound stone. I frowned slightly.

"Do you have a sound stone as well, or is that Ness's?" I asked. Kato shook his head.

"This isn't his stone, but it holds a similar purpose," He replied. A similar purpose eh?

"PSI-related?" I asked. Kato smiled.

"Ah." A slight bit of sympathy crept up on me. While it must have been convenient, at times, to have PSI, it almost seemed like a chore that not many others would know about. I pitied the three of them in that sense. But if Ness and Kato needed stones, why didn't Paula? Was she just pure or something?

"It helps me focus," Kato responded. Shivering slightly, I inwardly freaked out. It was almost as if he read my mind.

"I-I see." Kato took a deep breath through his nose as he let his eyes close for a second. I frowned.

"Is it hard?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"To use PSI I mean… you were just like me at one point, weren't you?" I asked. Kato took out his water bottle he had been lugging around with him on his belt and took a drink. He shrugged.

"Not sure," He responded.

"Ahh…" My mind went back in time.

"_I'm not saying that humans can't learn this so called PSI…"_ Pokey spoke in my memories.

"Anyways… we should be going back now… I feel dumb leaving the two of them by themselves for this long…" I said. Kato shrugged again.

"Why do you feel guilty? Ness and Paula wanted us to have a break, so I followed through." I frowned.

"You sound like you're trying to be a servant or something…" I said. Kato opened one eye at me, his white eye to be exact.

"I-I mean, yeah, sure team work, I get it, but… just because they say something doesn't mean you should do it, right?" I asked. Kato however, didn't respond to my question, and instead took another gulp of his water as we descended down some escalators. Again, I felt sort of embarrassed... dumb? Now that I thought of it… none of that question made much sense at the time.

Kato was a different sort of character all together, and I wasn't used to speaking to his type. He was very secretive about what he was thinking. I thought… what _was_ he thinking? My thoughts trailed off slightly.

"So… you're a prince?" I asked, trying not to look at him. Kato sighed softly.

"Yes…" I kept silent for a moment.

"Sorry… I won't ask any more questions," I said. Yet again, Kato didn't say anything back. It was starting to make me nervous… and I didn't quite know why. When we made it back down to the third floor, Kato and I made our way to the other set of escalators when I randomly spotted something fall out of a lady's purse.

"Hold on for a second Kato," I told him as I picked up what seemed to be a identification card of some kind. When I looked up, the lady was making her way into the clothes store. Pacing up to her, I stopped her.

"Wait ma'am, I think you dropped this," I spoke after tapping her shoulder. She took a moment to register the card in my hand.

"Ahh… yes, this is mine," she said as she snatched the card out of my hand. However, without saying any kind of thank you or anything, she went back to her business. I frowned slightly. Maybe she wasn't having a great day, I thought, turning back around only to see Kato about to step onto the escalator after a crowd of people without me. I bit the inside of my cheek. If he was such an escort, I thought, why did he constantly continue without me?

"Kato, wait for me!" I said, jogging up to him as he stepped onto the ride down. He didn't seem to notice that I was rushing up to him, until it seemed too late, and in that moment, everything happened too fast for me to recall. I gasped.

My foot tripped over part of the metal flooring that happened to stick up slightly right before the escalator, which caused my entire upper body to catapult itself head first, down the set of moving stairs. But before I made my nasty tumble down the stairs, someone's quick reflex prevented that, as their strong arm slung quickly around my upper torso. I could feel gravity trying to pull myself through the grip, but it was too strong. However, gravity prevailed at gaining my glasses, as they flung right off of my face, clanking its way down the moving path. I blinked, goose bumps covering my entire body as I was held put. Everything in my sights were now a blur.

"Well that was close," Kato's voice spoke near, but not right against my ear. I bit my lip slightly from the situation.

"Ahh… sorry…" I told him in a shaky voice, trying to look up at him. And again, when I did, his eyes were clear. I looked away immediately, but blinked. "But thanks…"

"We're about to get to the bottom," He told me. "I'll tell you when to step off." I could only nod slightly. What was even more awkward was that his arm was still slung around my shoulders, pretty firmly as well, I thought to myself.

"Alright… step now," He told me. I took a moment to register this before, I almost tripped again. Luckily, my faster reflex kept me from doing so as I found my footing again.

"I… kinda need to see now… do you see my glasses anywhere?" I asked. Despite if I knew if Kato was searching or not, I searched myself, as best as I could, adjusting my sight as well as I could.

"Ah, they're over there," Kato mentioned, as he gestured me to walk with him a few feet away, next to a fern plant. Kato let go of me as he must have leaned down to receive them. He hummed.

"Hmm, they seem kinda loose, are they always like this?" He asked. I frowned slightly.

"Ah yeah… only if they've been under rough use though. It's ok, I know how to adjust them," I replied as I held out my hand to retrieve them. Instead to disbelieve, Kato ended up putting the pair of glasses past my ear instead. I blinked quickly, before looking up at him awkwardly. Kato formed a faint smile when he was sure I could see him.

"Be more careful next time," He told me. In a sense, I wanted to snap at him, because of how he seemed to want to go ahead without me. For some reason, I didn't do so.

"Alright…" I replied as I followed him. I looked at his back as we made our way towards the escalator. Since when did he lead in this place? He was only here once… I was so confused. I put a hand to my forehead. There were too many other things bothering me that kept me from becoming rash with him. Much much worse things in mind, I thought.

"Watch your step," He told me, as he tried slinging an arm around my shoulder. I declined his offer.

"I can get on by myself," I replied awkwardly. Kato shrugged, as he stepped on before me. I bit the tip of my tongue as I relied on the moving railing to guide me onto the last set of moving stairs. Getting on without a problem, I still had the sensation that I was going to fall. Without realizing it, I was holding onto the rail with both of my hands, until we made it to the bottom. I sighed as I got off. Kato waited until I seemed ready. Oh so now he waits… I thought.

"You're waiting now but didn't wait then, what gives?" I asked. Kato shrugged.

"Just making sure you're ok," He replied smirking to himself. My mouth curved down slightly.

"Well stop it, let's just go," I told him, as I led him out of the store. As soon as I was about to walk towards the usual path back, Kato again grabbed my sleeve and dragged me away from the crowd of leaving people.

"Kato, _now_ what?" I asked. "_I wanna get back-"_

"We _are,_" He replied. Oh… _oh._ Gritting my teeth in preparation as Kato held firmly onto my grip as we started to dash again the opposite way, knowing that we would get to our destination faster than the crowd.

xxxxx

When we slowed down to a stop, by the time we were there, I felt dizzy, as my sights were swirling in front of me.

"Don't fall now," He told me. I could only groan.

"I… need to lay down I guess," I said, holding my forehead. Damn Ness, I hope I wasn't catching anything related to your sickness!

"Need a lift up to your room?" He asked. Wait what?

"No no… I can manage myself; we can just take the elevator, right?" I asked.

When we walked in again, Kato pointed at the elevators.

_Elevators under maintenance_, the sign said. _Oh yeah…_

"Erm… I'm sure I'll be ok," I told him. However, when we made it to the stairs themselves, as I looked up to them, my eyesight swirled again. I grabbed my forehead as I held the railing, walking up the stairs. I guess the teleporting finally got to me, I thought.

"Damn, I should have known something like this would happen," Kato said as he helped to support me. I blinked slightly, not looking back up to him.

"For a normal person, you aren't normal. But your body is finally taking its toll, after all this stress, your system is wanting to crash. I shouldn't have made you teleport either, that was a bad decision. But, 'least we're back, right? And nothing bad has happened either," He replied.

"So… I'm getting sick too?" I asked. Kato sighed. I frowned, becoming slightly uncomfortable with his response. And I was definitely starting to get bugged… kind of scared? Of how he kept coming into physical contact with me… I kept wanting to recoil for some reason.

"I- I can walk up myself," I told him, taking his hand off my shoulder. Kato paused for a moment as he looked down to me. I didn't dare make eye contact with him.

"Well don't fall again," He replied. I bit my lip.

"I… won't." Kato nodded as he walked ahead of me up the stairs. I sighed. At least he didn't seem nearly as bad as I thought he would be…

xxxxx

_I wasn't sure if I had felt this emotion before, I was always almost opinionless in the past. This time, I felt anger._

_ Anger towards my own father._

_ Who I would have expected to walk in to see me. Who was it instead?_

_ Ness, Tracy and their mother walked into the hospital room, as they discovered me in bed. Tracy held their mother's hand while their mother held a bundle of flowers. Ness had a worried expression, clutching our red yo-yo up near his chest._

_ "Oh poor Pokey…" Their mother spoke, laying the flowers on the dresser by my bed to lean down on my forehead to kiss me. Tracy almost hid behind their mother. Ness walked up to the other side of my bed, giving me this look I didn't quite understand at the time._

_ "He doesn't look too hurt… just vewy tired…" Tracy spoke up._

_ "How are you doing?" Their mother asked. I could only look up to her. Her face was completely clear. So was Tracy's. So was Ness's._

_ "Just… I don't know what to say right now," I replied. Their mother didn't really know how to respond to that for some reason. _

_ "Pokey…" Ness weeped on my other side. When I looked back to him, Ness slung his arms around my waist to hug me. Without much second thought, I hugged him back… not thinking too much at the situation, until he let go of me and spoke to me with full on eye contact._

_ "I'm sorry…" He spoke. I looked at him blankly. Or so I thought I was._

_ I ended up staring into his eyes more than anything. Ness held out the yo-yo, snapping me out of my trance. An uncomfortable expression decorated Ness's face._

_ "Please get better Pokey… I'm so sorry…" Ness looked down in shame. Putting the yo-yo in my lap._

_ "I'm sorry, but Pokey needs to be alone now, I'm afraid that I have to ask you to leave now," The nurse spoke, walking inside the room. When I looked at her face, it had started to become fuzzy and unclear as well. Their mother sighed._

_ "Pokey, when you come home tomorrow, I'm making your favorite meal, I've already arranged the plans with your mother and father… ohh, feel better now!" Their mother… her name was Debbie, that's right. I looked over to Ness again, looking at me with those puppy eyes. All until Debbie dragged the two of them off. Ness's sad- almost puzzled look was the last thing I saw before they left._

_I looked down at the yo-yo, running my thumb over its red plastic surface._

_ "Now, you should rest up right now, because the anesthesia still needs some time to ward off…" The nurse's voice spoke out._

_ But when I looked up to the nurse, her entire face was gone._

xxxxx

While I opened our door, I could hear mutters on the other side. When I saw Paula and Ness, Paula seemed to be making Ness eat again as Paula looked at us, spoon in hand, which was stuck in Ness's mouth on the other end. Ness looked as if he was protesting, but I inwardly laughed at how silly he looked with a spoon stretching out his cheek.

"You're back! How was it?" Paula said, letting go of the spoon.

"It was alright…" I smiled. Kato yawned.

"Was good while it lasted," Kato said, as he plopped down onto the chair. "Ah Ness, we got you something," Kato reached into the plastic bag for the bear and tossed it to him. Ness caught it, taken aback by the bright purple plush, a strange uncertain look upon his face.

"Hah… a teddy bear… that's cute," Ness said. "But, what do I do with it?" Ness asked. "Not to… thank you," Ness said, trailing off. I soon pulled up a chair.

"Did you rest?" I asked, slightly concerned. "I'm sorry we were gone for a little while…" I looked down in guilt as I was sure Ness was looking at me.

"Ahah, don't look so down, of course I rested," Ness replied. "Do you feel any better?" Ness asked happily. I looked up to him again. Ness was smiling; it was that same smile that always stirred those damn butterflies when I first saw him smile like that. He tilted his head at me. I blushed.

"Yeah, I feel better… thanks," I rubbed the back of my head, taking a glance at the other two in the room. When I saw Kato looking at me, I immediately looked away.

"He's actually a little dizzy… if he takes it easy, I'm sure things will be ok," Kato replied. I furrowed my eyebrows. I was sure because of that, Ness's cute smile went away… I wanted it on his face longer than that.

"I'm _fine,_" I replied to him. "Just because I trip once doesn't mean I'm a total klutz." Kato frowned.

"Fine, but if it's not the case, don't lie to yourself." I sighed. _Whatever,_ I thought. There was a small pause in the room.

"So… what now?" Paula asked.

"Didn't we ask this before?" Ness said.

"Mmm," Kato replied. All of us were silent again, just thinking, I guessed.

"Ahh," Ness said out of the blue.

"Mmm?"

"Jeff, remember that odd-shaped key that we got yesterday? Where did you put it?" Ness asked. It took me a moment to digest what he was suggesting.

"What key?" I asked.

"That carrot-like key," Ness replied. "I think it's important somehow." Oh yeah… that. I hummed.

"Hold on a second," I told him, finding my bag carelessly laying on the ground. When I picked it up, somehow one of the handles slipped out of my hand as I unzipped the bag, making some of the contents fall out of it. I panicked inwardly, as I saw the small little black book fall out along with my glasses case and some supplies. Inwardly freaking out, I snatched up the diary first, and made sure it got safely into my bag before picking up the rest, and then took out the carrot key. I was pretty damn thankful that the yo-yo didn't fall out either.

"You mean this?" I asked, carefully putting the bag down and walking towards Ness's bed. I steered my mind sharply towards the carrot key… oh god.

_No no, just because you're in a room full of psychics doesn't mean they can read your mind… _ I felt the back of my neck sweat.

"You ok?" Ness asked innocently.

"Ahaha, yes yes, I'm fine… just kinda… almost thought it wasn't in there that's all… that would have been really bad," I lied. _Fuck,_ I lied. There you go _again_ Jeff, you dishonest douche bag.

"Oh okay… well yeah, this is it. I wonder what it's for…" Ness said taking the key from me and examining it. "It seems unusual… as if it's not from around here." Paula took the key into her hands and examined it herself.

"Whatever it's used for, why give it such a peculiarly bizarre design?" She asked, handing the key to Kato. Kato held it out away from him and studied it. And for a moment, I could have sworn a look of realization appeared. Soon followed by a hum of recognition.

"This looks like the missing key that goes to those statues…" Kato barely mumbled.

"Statues?" Paula asked. Kato twirled the key around in his hand.

"That's right… in Dalaam." The three of us looked at each other.

"Does that mean we need to go to where you came from?" Ness asked.

"It's possible… it's a good thing I can teleport too, eh?" Kato smiled to Ness casually. For some reason however, when Kato's eyes turned to mine, it seemed darker than usual. I glanced away quickly. Why couldn't I look at Kato that much then?

"Yeah… that'll come in handy. I hope another piece is there," Ness smiled as he let himself plop down onto the bed. "I don't know if I want to teleport myself anytime soon anyways…" He must have been remembering yesterday.

"I'm sure it'll be fine when you get better," Paula added.

"Don't worry about anything today Ness, I urge you to recover. It'll help your performance if you get a full one," Kato added as he stood up and put the key on the dresser. "Mmm' gonna meditate for a little bit," Kato said as he started to walk out of the room.

"Guess I better go too, I can't let him go off on his own," Paula said.

"Hey Paula?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks… thanks for watching Ness for a little bit I mean," I replied. Paula smiled.

"It's no biggie. If you need us, call," She smiled sweetly before leaving the room. I sighed.

"So… how was it?" Ness asked.

"Hmm?"

"With Kato I mean… I know you don't really trust him… but me and Paula thought it would be good if the two of you got to know each other a little more," Ness looked up to me without turning his head on the pillow.

"It was ok… nah, you're right, he's not that bad," I said.

"Hah… not _that_ bad? Is there something that still bothers you about him?" He asked. I bit my lip.

"It's ok… I kinda feel the same I guess. He's really secretive. He does anything I tell him to though, but we don't know much about him… it's a little strange," He said.

"Yeah…" I said. "But he's kind, right?" I asked, more questioning than anything.

"Yeah, he is…" I wasn't very sure with my response.

"What, did he do anything weird?" Ness asked. I shook my head immediately.

"Well eh… he was kinda funny trying to grasp what it's like to live in a city like Fourside," I laughed slightly.

"Aha… I bet," Ness said before sighing. "Mmm still tired… you must be tired to, right?" Ness said, looking up at me again.

"I am… I don't know if I'd be able to fall asleep again though," I replied.

"Well… whenever you do want to rest, I can move over," he replied. I smiled.

"Don't worry about it quite yet," I told him. I glanced over to the clock, which had read four-thirty-five. I had plenty of time to work on that bazooka, I thought to myself…

"I miss mom and dad again," Ness said randomly, turning on his side to face me.

"I'm sorry… do you want to visit your mom again before we head to Dalaam when you're better?" I asked. Ness shook his head slowly.

"I mean… I want to see mom and dad together again… dad's always gone. And now I am too… I worry sometimes about them," He said. Another twinge of guilt passed through me. I don't know if I could ever understand the hardships Ness has to deal with…

"But… it's wrong of me to say that to you since…" Ness sunk under the covers slightly. I smiled.

"Nah, it doesn't matter either way," I replied. Ness frowned.

"I'm sorry…"

"Nah," I replied. And then for a moment, Ness and I just took the moment to stare at each other. I didn't know what else to really say… or what to do then.

"You look tired, are you sure you don't want to rest?" Ness asked. I shook my head, and got up. Walking up to his bedside, I let my hand touch his forehead. Ness blinked at my action, but his eyes still looked tired and out of energy.

"Nah, just rest for a bit… I'll be right here," I said, looking down to him one last time before walking away. But Ness's hand preventing me from heading further as he claimed it.

"You promise?" Ness asked. My lips parted as I looked back at him. He looked slightly worried, as if he didn't' want me to go.

"Of course." Ness let go slowly before sinking into the covers of his bed.

"I'll stay quiet so it won't bug you too much," I said before claiming my bag and my broken bazooka, as I got to work.

"I'd rather hear you work so it'll help me fall asleep faster," Ness replied. My heart fluttered slightly. Even though I wasn't sure how he meant it, I took it as a form of flattery.

"Ok, I'll work like I usually do," I chuckled.

xxxxx

I couldn't figure it out. The bazooka that is.

It was a pain, I thought. I tried not to growl in frustration, I didn't want Ness to hear me upset, that was the last thing I wanted at the time. Sure maybe I never had the luxury of touching a bazooka in school, but you'd think reading all the scientific books in school would help… but no.

It was just working not long ago, right? So why did it all the sudden crap out on me like that? It also made me wonder why I found it where I did… ultimately, I wondered who made it. I looked at the label again. _Bazooka 300…_

_It better not have been something my dad created_, I thought to myself. Even so, while these negative thoughts about my dad ran around through my head, I still took the small booklet of notes in my hand. My dad's writing was so slanted and hard to read, I thought…

I flipped the page again, noticing a sticky note plastered on the written page. It was a note… an old note to himself-

_Don't forget to buy the bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day._

I paused, taking the note in for myself. A strange emotion… but a familiar one took over again. Anger? Pity? I wasn't sure…

Preventing myself from diving into more emotions, I turned the page again, only to find something else out of the ordinary.

A small slip of paper, folded together. Curiosity got the best of me as I immediately took the slip of paper in hand, opened it up to read it…

It was a letter… a letter I didn't really understand. It looked like a professional one though… or a failed attempt at one. It was stained with coffee, I thought. Maybe he had to write another one…

_ Hello again,_

_ This is just another letter asking about how the dungeon man project is going. I've been very busy lately planning for the Phase Disorder Project on my end. From the looks of it, I'm confirming that it's more than possible at this point, and with it I can stop this nightmare-filled catastrophe once and for all. Either way, I hope you're doing well out there. I really hope you're less lonely in the Unforgiving Desert than I am back up in Winters. Isn't it ironic how different our forecasts are? If I'm ever stumped with my own project, I will contact you again to help me solve any puzzles that come along the way. I'd like for you to do the same, I request it. In the meantime, take care for me. And… if you ever see my son again, tell him I said hi… for me… will you? Please?_

_ Your Good Friend, _

_ Dr. Loid Andonuts_

_Doctor… Loid?_

A knock at the door suddenly snapped me back to reality.

"Hey Jeff?" I could hear Kato's voice faintly on the other side of the door. I paused for a second, placing the small notebook somewhere where no one would randomly pick it up.

"Yes?" I asked, opening the door. I had forgotten how much time had passed, it must have been around seven by that time, judging from how dark the room was compared to the lighted hallways.

Kato and Paula waited outside, Paula looking the more anxious of the two.

"Paula wants to talk to you for a little bit. I'll babysit Ness for you," Kato told me.

"Ah… ok?" I wasn't sure why… what was happening?

"Oi, don't take too long," Kato said before walking in the room past me. I closed the door behind me. I turned to Paula, who in return smiled.

"Let's walk for a little bit," Paula said.

"O...kay?" I said, letting her lead the way down the hallway.

"Ummm… is something up?" I asked her. Paula took my hand.

"So, did you give him the yo-yo?" She asked. I bit my lip. Oh…

"No… why?" I asked.

"Well Ness seemed pretty happy today while you two were out. Very happy." Oh…

"Hah… that's good…" _Oh Jeff you imbecile, didn't you realize already that Paula can see through you at all times? _I thought. Paula looked up to me. Oh god Jeff, think of something else… puppies. Oh man puppies… think of all those… puppies…

"P… puppies?" Paula spoke out loud. My mouth sucked in, feeling the ever so nervous chills on the back of my neck. Suddenly Paula's eyes narrowed.

"You're hiding something…" She smiled.

"I am not," I stated unconvincingly.

"Are too." Urrggggh… I tried not growling, but my expression showed it. Paula giggled.

"You're adorable," she smiled, just like how Ness smiled to me. Both of them were cute when they did it… cept Paula was more cutesy-cute at doing it.

"Ahahaha… can we _not _talk about the things between Ness and I? It really makes me uncomfortable…" I asked. Paula however hummed.

"_Obviously_," She said. "Don't worry, Kato has no clue about any of this."

"Yeah, he better _not_ know _anything…_ that would be more than awkward," I said.

"So… you can't say anything?" She asked.

"Honestly, what can I really say? I don't know what to say… can't you talk about this to…" Before finishing my sentence, I slapped myself in the face, letting it linger there until I let it slide down my nose; knowing exactly the direction I just took this in. _Accidentally_.

"I _knew_ it," Paula replied.

"I know you do…" I said uncomfortably. "I'll leave it up to your imagination."

"Hah… my _'imagination'_ happens to be a pretty realistic one, so it's not a problem," She winked at me. That little bugger, I thought… reading into my mind.

"Ahh, I get it I get it… you pretty much know everything about me, just by looking at me, don't you?" I asked her. She smiled happily.

"I know everything about the good sides of people, just by looking at them," She replied. So… having a little crush affair was good, eh?

"I… yes you do," I replied. Paula smiled.

"This is great! Maybe the two of you will end up being happier in the long run…" She said. "That would really help with the hardships in the future." What? If anything… I was sure things would be more complicated.

"I get it, you're talking more on Ness's account, aren't you? So… I made him happier?" I asked. Paula smiled again. I flushed.

"Well…" I looked up, scratching my chin, thinking to myself, hoping that she wouldn't read me. I really think things would be more complicated after this…

"I'm not very good at keeping commitments though Paula… it's gonna-"

"Do you care for him?" She asked.

"What? Yes, of course I care for him…"

"Then there's nothing to worry about," She said. My lips stayed parted. I did my best to keep my mind in the present, and not let it drift into any thoughts that Paula could dig into…

"If you say so," I adjusted my glasses again.

"Give him the yo-yo. It's really nice…" She said.

"Hah, you think so? I hope… he doesn't mind that I messed with his own property," I said. Paula laughed.

"Is that really what's bothering you?" She asked. I bit my lip.

"Haha… no," I said. "Ok ok, fine, I'll show it to him tonight… you better know what you're doing," I told her. Paula's smile was enthusiastic, as she guided my hand back to our room.

"Good, I promise, he'll love it," She said. My stomach flopped. I really hope so, I thought.

"Hey… Paula?" I asked, as we made it half way to the hotel room.

"Hmm?" I bit my lip.

"I… I don't know what I got myself into to be honest," I told her. Paula paused, looking at me with slight surprise and concern.

"I don't know if this is right or correct… why did I start liking Ness like this?" Paula cocked her head.

"I… thought you told me?" She added. I frowned.

"Yeah, I know but…" I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm… kind of scared Paula. I'm scared that I've caused something horrible." Paula took a moment to study me, before she frowned.

"Don't… don't you _dare_ compare yourself to him," She said. My eyes fluttered open. What…?

"Don't… you're nothing like him," She said. I finally shook violently.

"Hah… do you really think so…? I've been wondering about it for a long time now…"

_"You're disgusting…"_ Pokey spoke into my thoughts. Paula took my hand again.

"You have something Ness desperately needs that Pokey could never offer," She told me.

"And what is that…?" I asked. She smiled, looking into my eyes.

"Trust." _Trust?_ I lied… all the time.

"You only lie when you want to protect the people around you… and you do a really bad job at doing so haha," Paula giggled, reading my mind. I smiled slightly.

"Awww, well… ok," I said. "Thanks… Paula." Paula knocked at the door.

"It's all good, now do what you need to do," She said. "This might be your one and only chance." Ahh…

Kato opened the door.

"Hey, welcome back," He said. Paula smiled.

"Ok, I need to use your restroom… it shouldn't take too long," Paula said wincing slightly as she rushed inside. I could only crack a smile.

"I'll just wait out here," Kato said, walking out. I could only nod to him, closing the door slightly. Tip-toeing in, I wasn't sure if Ness was awake or not, but from the looks of it, he was still napping. _Poor Ness,_ I thought. Kneeling down to my stuff again, I thought about just putting everything away and giving up for the night… My hand drifted over towards my father's notes… the letter still lingering on the corner of my mind… so he did have a name, I thought.

I was pretty oblivious at the small moment, putting my new tools Kato had "bought" for me at the department store, and placed them delicately in my bag, along with the book of notes where I usually put it, in the same pocket as Pokey's Diary…

I froze.

... _It was this pocket, right?_ Searching madly now through my bag, trying to find the right pocket with the diary, my eyes widened in shock.

_It was missing. Oh god no._

Looking madly over my shoulder at Ness's bed, I had to keep as quiet and unsuspicious as possible. He didn't take it without me noticing, did he? No… it was in there just now, I saw it while I was working… My head turned towards the door.

Without shocking him, I flung the door open. And to my disbelief, I saw exactly what I could have been speculating.

Kato was casually leaning against the wall, black leather diary in hand as he thumbed through another page. My face grew hot with anger.

"Give that back _right now_," I spoke in a low bitter tone, marching up to him to snatch the book. Calmly, Kato lifted the book above the both of us, while putting out a strong but firm hand to keep me from at bay. He looked me in the eye.

"Why?" He said. I gritted my teeth.

"I can't _tell you_, now _give it here!"_ It was hard, keeping my voice at a low I thought, as I reached madly up to his hands. But almost pathetically easily, Kato kept it out of arms reach.

"_What are you doing! __**Can't you respect other people's privacy?"**_ I jumped madly. Then the unexpected. Kato grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. Jerking forward, I met his eyes again.

"_What is this_?" He asked, in a freakishly low tone of voice. I paused, finally feeling our gazes clash. Kato however, was strong enough to not look away. I bit my lip. Oh no _no, this was __**not **__happening…_

"I… I can't tell you," I replied. My breathing felt shallow then, almost as if I was panicking. Oh god, I was panicking then… the secret was out. And pretty soon Paula, or possibly Ness was going to walk out and figure out what I had been lugging around with me this entire time…

"Why can't you tell me?" He asked. I gritted my teeth.

"Kato, please stop… give it back," I said. All Kato could do however was stare at me. His stare was creepy, I thought. Very strong, and I felt as if I had let him into my mind now without wanting to. He broke through my eyesight now, and now I was to pay for those consequences. Why was I so pathetic?

"If this has something to do with Ness, then you better show him," He told me. I bit my lip.

"No… I can't show him yet. He's not… he's not ready I don't think," I replied. Kato sneered for a moment.

"He's not ready? Or are _you_ not ready to reveal the fact that you've been hiding something big behind our backs this entire time?" He replied. I paused. He was right.

"I saw you panicking earlier about this thing falling out of your bag… we're a team, we shouldn't have to hide anything from anyone. Either you get rid of this, or you suck it up and tell all of us," He said. I looked down in frustration. _Ness,_ I thought…

"I'm sorry… I can't get rid of it… nor can I tell anyone. That… that book could hold every single answer we've been looking for," I confessed. Kato glared.

"Then _don't _be a traitor and keep it all to yourself," He replied. _Traitor?_ I could hear Paula finishing up in the bathroom, I thought.

"I haven't told Ness because… for his protection. He's been through a lot, I really think that now is not the best time," I told him, finally trying to look him into the eye now. Kato raised his eyebrow. Both of us looked to the door.

"Then… if this is how you want to play, we have to make a little deal," He said. I bit my lip. A deal? I didn't like the sound of this…

_"… Fine,"_ I replied. Kato looked around him.

"It's simple- if you want this book back, you have to tell _everyone_ what's inside these pages," He said. _"Especially Ness." Fuck…_

"In the meantime, I will hold on to this book. I promise you, Paula, and Ness that this book won't see the light of day, ever, until you decide it's time to show everyone what you've been hiding from us," He said.

"But… what if Ness finds it in your stuff? Apparently from what you're saying, it's perfectly a-ok to just go through other's stuff, and-"

The door opened, Paula's head peeked through the door.

"Hey… is something the matter?" She said. I would have turned around to give her a horrified expression… now that I knew that these PSI-freaks could look right through me… or at least Kato… and Paula with my good side, I didn't dare turn my head towards her. Kato had immediately hidden the book away before Paula could see, or at least I suspected. Kato was very skilled at changing moods.

"It's alright here Paula… let's go back and rest for tomorrow," He smiled. Paula smiled back.

"Jeff," Paula said, trying to get my attention. Still, I didn't turn around. Paula walked in front of me.

"Jeff?" Paula said, again looking at me. I quickly change my expression. _You're lying again Jeff_, I thought. But to protect others… right?

"Hey… good night Paula. You need a good rest too," I said calmly. Paula observed me for a moment. Randomly, out of the blue, Paula wrapped her arms around my torso. Taken aback slightly, I returned the favor.

"You need the most rest out of all of us now… good night Jeff," Paula said, letting go as she followed Kato. Trying not to glare at the newly bastard-badge worthy… bastard, Kato flashed me a smile, as I saw him sneak the book into one of his side pouches.

"Good night, Jeff," Kato smiled calmly. "Thanks for the good day today," He said. I stayed silent. This was really bad, I thought. What if Kato was… bad? What if Kato was lying… what if he was working for Pokey all this time…

Or maybe… _what if he thought the same exact thing about me?_ I bit my lip. This was all so complicated now…

When I was sure that the two of them were off this floor for the night, I took the moment to let my anger out, silently if I could. However, I ultimately couldn't help myself punching the wall. Wincing at the dumb idea, feeling the pain in my knuckles… I chose not to cry, I didn't need to. But I had to get that diary back… I couldn't trust him after that. Ultimately… I couldn't let Ness lay his eyes on them… not now…

So was all that at the department store just… a joke? I didn't understand what was to happen after then…

"How can I trust _anyone_ to keep their word now… I can't trust _anyone _anymore," I told myself. That wasn't entirely true… I thought… but the people I trusted were the ones that couldn't know, I thought. But what ultimately let _me _have permission to know? Why did Picky give _me_ permission to look, and hold the damn thing? I should have given the book to Ness in the first place… with Picky present, I thought. Not to keep it secret from him… _fuck_. I took my glasses off to let my hand slide down my face. What was I going to do?

"He is partly right… maybe I should just forget about that sick fuck for a while," I ranted under my breath. "For Ness's sake… for everyone." My thoughts trailed to the many faces I've seen so far on this trip… so many more that I'll be seeing too, I thought. Who could I trust, and who could I not? Could I even trust myself…?

I paused at that thought. I growled in frustration.

"Maybe he is right…" I said, finally deciding to walk back through the ajar door into the room. Randomly, I remembered that this entire day, I had been in my pajamas pants and white t-shirt…

The room was dark, but I still managed to navigate across the room, rubbing my eyes in the process. I had to lay down… while more than half of me wanted to snatch the book back away from Kato… from Poo. _Poo,_ I thought. _Poo…_ a small dark smile crept up on my expression.

_He's hiding something too,_ I thought. And if he even _dared_ to let my secret out… then his would have to go as well. I sighed, feeling slightly better. _That was it,_ I thought. That was my little promise to myself… we knew each other a little bit more that night. And as I rubbed my glasses with the eye-glass cleaner my thoughts finally drifted to other subjects… or another topic that linked to the last.

_"Loid…"_ I mumbled out loud.

"Jeff?" I heard a cute mumble speak from the bed. I turned my head back to the bed. Surely, Ness was sitting up; looking down to me, to see what was going on.

"You seem really troubled… are you ok?" He asked worryingly. I smiled slightly.

"Nah… everything's fine," I said lightly, turning around, sitting down to face him. "How are you doing?" I asked. Ness paused to study me for a moment. Everyone was studying me today, I thought. But for some reason then, I felt more comfortable, with my last conclusion, it didn't bother me one bit. Ness was acting adorable lately anyways. I smiled as he lowered his chin.

"Good… I'm kinda awake now though… I don't know how I can sleep tonight haha," Ness replied.

"I see…" I replied, standing up to walk over to his bedside. Ness seemed to observe my every move, as he prepared for my hand against his forehead. Ness's eyes were averted from mine.

"You still feel warm, but you're better than before," I told him. Ness frowned.

"Aww…" He said. I took my hand away, looking at him in the dark.

"What?" I chuckled. Ness glanced up, but looked away again.

"I just need to get better, that's all," He replied.

"Haha… you are getting better, remember? Paula could touch you today… that's great progress… I'm really proud," I told him, sitting next to him on the small mattress. Ness was strangely shy in that moment. I wondered why?

"When I do get better… I wonder how things will pan out from now on…" He said. I sighed, thinking of all the same kind of crap that's been happening myself.

"I honestly can't tell you…" I responded.

"I'm pretty scared…" Ness said. I frowned, feeling guilt rise in me.

"I'm tired of fighting my childhood friend… I don't understand anymore. One moment he wants… me to be his friend, the next he hurts me… I'm tired of Giygas too… Mmm' tired of PSI…" Ness mumbled, half ranted. My thoughts trailed to the yo-yo, keeping it in my thoughts. Ness cuddled a pillow close to his chest. "Do I bug you when I rant about this kind of stuff…?"

"What? No, of course not…" I replied. "I just… everything you say, I agree with... well the things I can understand I mean. I don't really know what I can say about PSI…" I said. "I just don't want to indulge into the topic too much… I don't like seeing you sad either," I said, looking down in shame. Ness paused, looking over towards me.

"Well… after saying what I just did… I am a little sad," Ness mentioned. "So… what are you going to do about it?" He added. I looked up with more open, aware eyes. Ness was now looking down in shame.

"I…" My mouth curved down. This was it, I thought. This was that one chance to show him how much I cared... I got up. Ness watched me walk away to my bag.

"Jeff?"

"You… saved me way back then. Forgiving me for something that I had always thought was my fault… even if that sounds stupid, it's true," I said rummaging through my bag until I found it. "It's about time… I do… somewhat, the same thing for you," I replied, feeling my heart swell up as I got back to his bed side, looking down at my hand before handing him the small yo-yo. I was so nervous of his reaction…

Ness looked at my palms blankly. _Oh no_, I thought… Ness slowly brought out his own hand to claim the red yo-yo… he did it so carefully too, almost as if he was holding something completely fragile that belonged to him, as if it could break at any moment.

"This… were they selling these at the store? Haha…" I stayed silent, as I watched him thumb over the smooth plastic surface of its side, before poking a finger through the loop of the yo-yo.

"I had one just like this actually… it broke though…" He said, smiling sarcastically. I bit my lip. He was oblivious… I watched him, smiling nostalgically as he let the toy fall and spring back up into his hand. I didn't know how to respond. He was completely unaware… or so I thought.

"Haha… it works well too," He said again, something different arousing in his voice. A glance at his eyes and a tear started to drip down his cheek.

"_Ness…"_ Ness brought the toy back up wound into his hand, holding it.

"It doesn't feel new though… the plastic, I mean…" He mentioned. I sighed uncomfortably, watching his chin drift down as he looked at the toy in his hands. He might have started to get the idea. I don't know what drove me, but my hand reached for his face again, but towards a more delicate feature. Tilting Ness's sights towards mine, I looked calmly into him.

"It… _was_ used. It's yours. I found it broken… so… thought I'd might fix it for you," I told him the best I could without becoming sidetracked. The butterflies felt horrible then, as the two of us gazed again. Ness looked like he was at a loss of words. So was I… Ness's lips were lush and parted, I thought. I ultimately frowned at myself. This was a dumb idea…

"I… I'm…" I struggled. I was about to walk away in shame, turning around. "Sorry… it was stupid of me…"

Ness quickly snatched my hand before I could walk off… squeezing it firmly.

"Jeff, wait…" I looked slowly back to Ness, this look on his face I still couldn't quite decipher. It was that same look that he had last night… tired but longing.

"Please come back," He said quietly. I frowned. I put my hand on my forehead, looking back down at him tiredly. Ness stood up in front of me, wobbling at first. But soon, he put himself forward, embracing me, leaning the side of his head against mine as he let his chin rest upon my shoulder.

"I… thank you," He said. "I… I love it." It was so hard for the both of us to express ourselves with each other, I thought. So much to say yet… nothing's really been said. Maybe that was why Ness did what he did next.

"Hey…" Ness spoke, breaking the contact, looking at my dreary eyes. He frowned.

"I don't know why you're suddenly looking so down but… can I… do something? Or… can we do something?" Ness asked. Do something? Do what…

"Huh…?" I spoke nervously. Ness smiled.

"Sit down," He said, still holding my hand as he sat down on the mattress. What did he want to… do? Ness patted the space next to him.

"Okay…" I said, sitting down next to him slowly. "Uhh… what do I do?" My voice shook slightly. Ness didn't look much better either.

"Can we…?"

"Can we?" I repeated.

"…Can we touch foreheads again, like we did this morning?" Ness asked, tilting his head to watch my reaction. _Oh…_ I thought.

"I… uh, sure… I guess," I chuckled nervously. A small smile appeared on Ness, as he leaned in without a second thought, planning his forehead against mine, eyes still looking at each other. I could feel Ness's nose nestle next to mine as his smile grew bigger. He looked so goofy… it only made me smile as well.

"You're weird," I joked. "Not that I don't like that…" Ness laughed.

"I do this all the time with Paula… I've done it once with Kato… it's kinda just a PSI thing… we share each other's thoughts and powers with each other at a low frequency… it separates us from reality and it helps me relax," He replied, breathing in through his nose. Oh…

"So… I'm not capable, right?" I said. Ness hummed.

"I wouldn't say that… you can talk to Paula through telepathy… I think you have it somewhere in you," He replied. Ahh…

"So… you can… read my thoughts?" I suddenly became cautious again. "Can all of you read my every thought… just by looking at me?" I asked. Ness rotated his head slightly.

"It depends…" Ness replied. "Paula for example… she can see everything positive about what someone is thinking… nothing bad." I thought for a moment.

"And… you?" I asked. Ness paused. And in response, he removed his forehead from mine.

"Honestly, I've been kind of nervous to really try… you're tricky for me," Ness replied. So… I was mysterious to him?

"Kato likes to have staring contests with me, and sometimes he wins… it's scary when he does," I responded. Ness was silent, glancing up at me. I bit my lip.

"Hey Ness…? Remember back at your house when I asked you to look into my eyes and… we almost… anyways… I have a theory," I told him. Ness tilted his head.

"A theory?" I hummed.

"Remember Demetri when he became the invisible man?" I asked. Ness parted his lips.

"Yeah… what about him?"

"Well… did I ever tell you about what he told me once…? If I haven't, it was dumb of me not to… I mean, I… anyways. He said that there were four sets of eyes that could seek the true evil power… he's referring to us," I said. Ness tilted his head.

"You can see the bad in people and objects… and he said I can see their weaknesses. So… I can only guess that Paula can see the good in others and Kato… I'm not entirely sure. Maybe strength? Haha… I don't know," I rambled. Ness paused at this thought.

"I think it could be true," Ness said, looking a tad bit sad. I looked up to him again.

"I don't really know exactly how they or we work though… I guess over time, we can get a better understanding. We're… a pretty complicated bunch, aren't we?" I said. Ness took a moment before smiling softly again.

"Thank you… for saying that," Ness smiled. I could only smile in return.

"Of course," I responded. "But I wouldn't take my word as fact… ah, you know, haha," I scratched my neck.

"I'm sorry if you feel threatened by our PSI sometimes… we don't mean it, honestly," Ness mentioned. I paused.

"Hah… haha, you really think that? No, you guys are great, really," I smiled. Ness seemed to look at me again, almost as if he wanted me to continue. So I did.

"I mean… I've gotten used to the fact that I can't use PSI… and… we're helping each other out… aren't we?" I asked. Ness tilted his head again. I blushed slightly at his expression.

"Still… I'm sorry…" I shook my head.

"It's a pleasure being with you," I replied. Pleasure? … I hadn't thought of what I said, until it was said.

"A pleasure…?" Ness asked. I breathed in. Nodding.

"Yes… it's a pleasure," I responded again. How else would I be able to explore not only the world and others… but myself? Ness had that look again. That look where he was thinking of something.

"Close your eyes…" Ness spoke softly. I frowned.

"What? Why…" I asked, feeling nervous again. Ness formed a small smile.

"It won't hurt… just close your eyes…" He said. I wouldn't hurt? _Uhhh…_

"I… ok?" I said, feeling my eyes flutter closed. But of course as a cheating child, I still had them barely open… open enough to where my lashes hid my eyes. But Ness could easily see through this tactic, and lightly giggled.

"Jeff, you're peeking," He teased. "Close them, or else I won't do anything." I flushed at that thought. But curiosity immediately K.O.'d the cat…

"Fine…" My voice ultimately shook, as I sealed my eyes shut.

"Now stay still…" He asked. I could only grunt softly in response. A small pause. And that was when I could feel shifting on the bed, it almost felt as if Ness's knees were completely on the bed now, as I could get the sensation that he was leaning up to me. Smelling his warm vanilla scent, his fingers slipped my glasses off, as I would have expected. The movement still made me flinch slightly, but I ultimately obeyed his request.

Yet again… I could feel his forehead lightly planting itself onto my own… but this time, it was completely different than the previous moments.

There was a spark of energy that time… not the kind of spark that would shock you, but it drew you in. Hard for me to describe, but Ness had created a link then, between our minds… Strange, and random thoughts, images, and sounds… tastes and scents circled around into my conscience, both mine, and both things that I had never seen, believing that they had belonged to him. It was almost as if everything present around us was gone, and it was just that moment that existed… nothing more and nothing less.

These were memories, I thought. Our memories… no, there was more. This was something completely different. _What was it…?_ I had the sensation of everything… what did everything look like? Networks and networks of different things- all happening through the world… possibly the universe. Something spiritual? I wasn't very sure…

Voices far off… so many voices that you couldn't focus on one conversation… they were all jumbled. And I could see the stars… telepathically at least. No… we _were _the stars… weren't we? Even so… I'm asking these questions afterwards… my mind was completely absorbed into that moment, so much that I couldn't ask or answer questions, like I usually could. And… pretty soon those voices were so quiet… so distant that they became white noise, compared to the bond that the two of us shared. …That was it, I thought. It was only us then. Nothing else… Ness's energy was all that was there, besides my own. All of my mind was focused solely on him. And only him.

When I felt his lips barely brushed against my own, I let that barely noticeable feeling linger on my lips a little longer, before touching them with my own, softly. It was forever, as well as no time, that our soft lips exchanged kisses, and small secrets that we weren't really fully aware of. It didn't really matter in the long run… His scent filled my nostrils again, reminding me of the sensation of vanilla ice cream and sweets, melting delicately against my lips.

Our kiss took over the moment, as we pressed harder against each other… but not faster. When Ness finally did take me by surprise again, I could feel the tips of his top teeth nibble softly on my lower lip. Letting him, my tongue darted out slightly, to taste those pearly white teeth of his. Without thinking, my hands snuck around his waist, pulling him in. Ness's soft, smooth exhale tingled my lips, feeling his mouth open against mine. We were so sloppy and nervous… our lips were more than juicy then.

Ness managed to sneak his hands delicately around my jaw, ultimately guiding me to follow him down onto the bed. Before I knew it, I hovered above him, eyes still closed, as I felt my jaw touch the side of his. Pausing for a moment, without opening my eyes, I leaned down to touch it with my lips. A soft mewl escaped his lips, his loose grip trailing around my head, feeling his fingers run slightly through my now messy hair. I let him guide me, as I left a trail of kisses all the way down his neck to the top of his collar bone, and back up, slowly, until I met his soft moist lips again. With my chest against his now, both of our hearts rushed in harmony with the other. I could feel hands sneak behind my head to guide me back around to the other side of his neck. Delicately darting my tongue out, I softly nibbled his more than soft skin… it was almost as if this very spot had never been touched before, and I was the first. I nibbled again, preventing my teeth from marking such delicate skin. Ness's voice seemed to hitch.

"_Jeff…"_ He groaned slightly. _Oh god…_ Feeling the blood rush to my cheeks and the tips of my fingers tingling around his waist still, Ness guided me up to his right ear, as I gained permission… or was physically told to do the same thing that I did for his neck, letting my tongue run up and down his cartilage. Ness took the deepest breath he could in that moment, letting it off in a shaky nervous sigh, as I felt my face geared towards his lips again. This time around, nibbling at his top lip, I planted my forehead against his again, as I let my tongue-

_Ringringring! … Ringringring!..._

The abrupt familiar phone ring snapped us back into the hotel room, startling the both of us slightly. I opened my eyes finally, arms propping myself up so I hovered over Ness's body just enough to where he was still visible without the aid of lenses. Ness's face then was completely red, eyes half-open as he gazed up at me, almost disappointingly. I probably looked very similar…

_Ringringring! Ringringring!_

I exhaled nervously again, Ness doing the same. Just for that second, I let my eyes scan him up and down. _What were we just…_

_Ringringring! Ringringring!_

"_I-I'll get that…"_ I spoke, voice not sounding like myself at all, as a shaky hand searched the bed for my glasses before ultimately separating myself from Ness. I almost fell, knees wobbling, as if I had forgotten how to walk just from that small intimacy.

_The receiver phone,_ I thought. Who could have been calling the receiver phone now… and why?

Hearing the phone, I heard it near Ness's belongings- I must have given it back last night. Finding the device, I pressed the talk button.

"Hello?"

"H-hi, is Jeff there? This is his friend, Tony…" Oh… it's Tony, I thought to myself. I frowned, feeling my heart sink down into another level. I paused.

"Hello? Is anyone there…?" I acted for a second.

"Ah, hey, Tony… I dropped the phone, sorry…" My eyes drifted over to Ness on the bed. Ness was now sitting up with this uncomfortable, almost sad expression on his face. I bit my lip, when Ness looked up at me. Ness cocked his head slightly. He didn't really know what was going on, I thought.

"Hi Jeff… I would have hung up if no one answered pretty soon," He spoke. Tony sounded slightly sad too… I thought.

"Hey, I know this is rude of me, but could you hang on for a second?" I asked him, covering the speaker part of the phone.

"Hey Ness…? Ummm… I don't know how my friend from school got this number but… I'm going to have to take this call, is that ok? In… private, I mean," I felt utterly horrible right then. Ness however, tossed me a soft smile, cheeks still rosy… he looked darling, despite his sad demeanor.

"It's fine… I don't mind," Ness replied. I smiled, almost leaning in to hover over his forehead to give him a peck on the head, but… instead took my hand to ruffle his hair. I chuckled.

"Aight… sorry 'bout that… so, how have you been?" I asked him, walking towards the bathroom turning on the light switch, before taking one last sympathetic glance towards Ness on the bed.

"I'm… doing alright, I guess," Tony replied. I closed the door behind me.

"You guess?" Tony made an uncomfortable sound on the other line.

"Yeah… just alright," He replied. Oh… I frowned.

"I'm sorry, Tony…" Tony sighed.

"So I called to see how you were doing…" He asked. I put my hand on my forehead.

"Ahh… yes, I'm doing fine, thanks," I replied. A moment of silence.

"Really? You sound… I don't know, you don't sound like yourself again," He replied. Pausing, I couldn't think of anything to really say back.

"Well Tony… I'll be honest, I'm a little different period now…" I sunk down to the floor against the door to lean my chin on my knees.

"Is that so?" Tony sounded disappointed, I thought. "So what have you been doing all this time, buddy?" He asked. I breathed deep out of my nose. _Oh Tony, you know, the usual… saving the world, making enemies enough to kill me… oh did I mention that my biggest enemy knows about you and that he could track you down any moment and do god-unnamable horrible things to you?_ _Oh, and I just made out with this really hot psychic boy I'm helping out on the way that I still have mixed, confused and uncontrollable feelings for… you know, the usual_. I looked around the bathroom. My heart fluttered slightly, realizing that I had been sitting in the exact spot Ness sat… where I kissed him…

"Jeff?" I shook my head.

"Ah… I…" My fingers squeezed the phone.

"Jeff… you really have changed. What happened to the Jeff that could tell me anything?" He asked. That hurt me. _Horribly._

"I… I can't tell you, Tony…" I confessed. Tony grunted.

_"And why not?_ I haven't seen you in… _months_ now, it feels more like years has passed… very miserable years… and you don't even have the _decency_ to tell me _why_ you just suddenly_ bail out of our lives_?_"_ I could hear Tony's voice being effected by tears… I knew that sound in his voice. I paused. _Oh, because you know, if I did tell you why I couldn't tell you, then you'd worry, and then I'll worry because, well I don't know how many bad entities are stalking us and tapping into our phone line… _But then I thought… well didn't Apple Kid's technology prevent that? _Nonsense_, I thought.

"Tony… I don't know when I can talk to you again," I responded. A long pause on the line.

"Do you not… want me to be your friend anymore?" He asked. I frowned.

_"No…_ it's nothing like that," I responded. I can't tell you what I've been up to, and I can't tell you why I can't tell you… if that makes any sense… ok?" My voice hitched slightly. "I've been… going through some life-changing situations, ok? I can't… tell you what I've been through. I'm scared to tell you, is _that a good enough answer_?" I spoke, voice raising slightly.

"Why would you be scared? This is _exactly_ what you pretty much said last time… when you were lost and alone in Summers… god, how did you get all the way down there? And why are you scared to tell me… That's really scary, Jeff… that my own best friend can't tell me anything…" I hugged my knees.

"Please… stop pushing the subject…" My voice sounded just like how it did when I wanted to cry… I ran my palm along the side of my face.

"Fine…" Tony spoke. "But don't expect _me_ to tell you about myself if you won't do the same,"-

"I want to come back…" I spoke, thinking back at the strange man again… Pokey… Kato… Giygas… "I want to come back… I want to be ordinary again. I want to have detention again… I want to see and smell the pine trees of Winters… I want to see Maxwell again… to see you again… but I can't. I just…" I barely muttered, sobbing silently, so Ness couldn't hear.

"Then… I get it," Tony spoke. I was pretty sure he could hear me sob. There was a long pause between us.

"Well… I'm glad that you told me what you've been up to… good ol' buddy of mine…" He spoke slightly optimistically. "I understand… if I could hug you, I would, so let me send one through the phone, ok?" I nodded slowly, pretending a familiar pair of arms wrap around me.

"Thank you…" I responded. "That felt… really nice."

"Good…" He spoke softly. I bit my lip, flexing my toes.

"But… may I ask about you? If… you don't mind…" Tony paused for a moment.

"My grades aren't doing well… one of my teachers kind of hammered the idea in my head that if I couldn't get a higher GPA that I'd get kicked out soon… and… Nathan's been acting kind of weird around me too… I don't know," He spoke. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"If he does anything to you, let me know… I'll kick his ass if he does anything bad," I responded. Tony seemed to chuckle on the other side of the line.

"I thought you said we couldn't see each other again?" He spoke. Oh… I paused.

"Haha… Ah Jeff… at least that sounded like you," He said. I smiled slightly.

"Hah… believe me; I still have some fight in me…" I spoke. "But _Tony…"_

"What?"

"Maxwell wouldn't be very happy if he saw your report card," I told him. "I would help you with your homework, but… not there to help so… go to Maxwell. He pretty much taught me half of the things I know… if we're talking science." Tony hummed.

"I could try that… or I could just call you again," He responded. He seemed to give off the idea that, even though we might not see each other in a while, he could still call anytime… couldn't he? I smiled nostalgically… but it died down. That's right I thought… me talking to him like this would be bad…

"I don't think you should call me… if you do, only for emergencies… ok?" I told him. Tony paused.

"For emergencies huh…" I was silent.

"That's basically saying goodbye… isn't it?" He asked. Good…bye… the words slowly scanned through my mind… like a broken record. I didn't like the word goodbye…

"I wouldn't say goodbye, but rather… see you later…" I said. Tony grunted again.

"Yes so… I guess this is good… I mean see you later…"

"Yeah, Tony… see you…"

"So long…"

"Good night…"

"…Temporary farewell…"

"Mmmm… later…"

"…Jeff?"

"Yes?"

"… No matter what happens to you… I'll still love you… ok?" He spoke. The words sunk in for a moment. Tony… _loved_ me?

"I… I'll…"

But before I knew it, he hung up on me. I didn't realize it then, but my head felt like it was sinking… into my knees. I let the annoying hang up beep ring out for a few moments… Once I hung up, I immediately hugged my knees to myself and curled into a ball.

And cried.

I cried… and I cried…

"Jeff…?" A small knock on the door. I had been unresponsive at first… but after a small pause between us, I forced myself on my feet to open the door.

And to my utter surprise, when I met Ness's face as well… he had been crying too.

"What… _why are you crying_?" I asked, reaching out to his arms. "I'm… I'm sorry if I did something wrong,"- Ness closed the space between us by quickly, embracing me tightly.

_"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"_ Ness apologized. What…?

"_Why_ are you apologizing…? I don't… even…" Ness loosened his grip on me.

"I listened in… it's my fault… that you don't get to be back where you want to be,"- I quickly cut him off by hugging him again, securing him in my arms so he couldn't escape… until moments later, I separated ourselves, but kept us connected by griping his shoulders to look him into his eyes.

"_No_ Ness… we have to do this… we have to keep going. I have no regret whatsoever…" I told him truthfully. Ness seemed to be at a loss of words then… I didn't really blame him.

"I…" I put my forehead against his.

"Now… don't cry, ok?" I asked. Ness bit his lip.

"You need to stop crying too…"

"I will… if you will… I promise," I told him. I ran the back of my fingers down around his ear. Ness exhaled.

"Ok…" He said. I smiled, removing my head.

"Let's go to sleep… and forget everything for the night," I told him. I noticed, in his hand, he still held that yo-yo, I thought. Ness silently complied, as we walked back to the bed.

Without another word, without any second thoughts, Ness and I huddled close under the single cover and on the single pillow… forehead to forehead. It was the only way we could think of that took us away from this place… away from the universe…

xxxxx

_That cold night in the hotel room was almost unbearable. Emotions… emotions…_

_ My mind had never raced like it had that night. It was so confusing… and at the same time, it hadn't been._

_ I had always been stuck in my own world. And it was the first night where I felt as if the world I had created was taking over my reality… which was real and which wasn't? I wasn't sure…_

_ I hadn't been sure…_

_ Until my memory recalled Ness's eyes again. I closed my eyes._

_ When I opened them again, there it was._

_ This strange, organic but hazy being… something that had been haunting me ever since the accident happened._

_ It was out of focus, but it was there, staring at me on the side of my bed, looking down. Tall, slender and almost blue…_

_ It looked straight into me._

_ "Who… who are you?" I asked, believing it to be my imagination. Who knows… it could still be all of my imagination. I'm not quite sure if anything exists anymore… but this did. And so did Ness's eyes I thought…_

_ The being stayed silent. I frowned._

_ "Well… if you can't tell me your name, can you be my friend?" I asked the being. The being still didn't speak… but rather words appeared into my thoughts._

_ I am the cosmic destroyer…_


	26. Three More to Go

_**Important A/N: **__Thank you, Revu, PK, RaixOfxSunshine, Red, Treehugger19, TomBoy247, Ilana, Redtheyoshi, Sirius-Black-is-not-dead, anonymous, YaoiGirly, and Obsessed for reviewing my story! : ]_

_ Thank you Red, for the huge critique on my last chapter! I'm sorry about my abuse of ellipses, it was something I've always kind of been a victim too, but thanks to you, I've been trying to keep a better watch on those things. Thank you so much!_

_ Well, surprise surprise, look who's back with a new chapter? After the past couple of days, checking my messages, I've noticed my review number kept creeping up on this story. In less than 24 hours, I got 4 new ones, which made me feel kind of guilty. The sad thing is that, I actually, I do have something I need to confess to the readers here on this website that don't follow me on deviantart. _

_Yes, I had plans on not writing this story anymore. If not that, at least put this on a huge hiatus._

_But why did I just leave this story in the air like I did? Because I __**hate**__ the dreaded "note," and I'm sure everyone hates it as well, and I didn't want anyone that's following this story to go through that. However, at the same time, I can't promise that I'll update again very soon. I'm on to different things now, and I'm having a harder time coming back to this story. It might be partly because, imo, I'm approaching the 'boring' part of the game. I kind of find the scaraba- deep darkness parts slightly boring, and honestly, I don't have many plans for those parts, unless if I want to drag this story out longer. I really don't want that. What I'd really like, is to just almost skim those parts, and get to the part I've been dying to write in this story period, the stone henge part, and on. If I can just get to that part, then this story will start to finally wrap up, and that's where I have a lot of things planned. What I'd like to ask you readers, is kind of permission. No, I will not skip those parts completely, but may I kind of… if I keep writing, just sorta fly through those sections, and get it over with? Maybe within 2 chapters? ;v;_

_I'm really sorry about how delayed this really is. I had plans to put this up in last October, but of course never got around to doing it. Forgiveness? ;v; And I'm sorry that this chapter might not be… the most exciting thing ever either…_

_Anyways, I'd actually am kind of interested on what people think of this, so let me know! You may determine this story's fate._

_Sad subjects aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_XxxxxXxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxX_

_Oh no. Not this again…_

_ Sure enough, here I was for the third time. In glass casing. Smaller than most of the world around me. I could feel my heart beat catch up to me. Oh no, I didn't forget what happened the last time I was in this glass dome. I was like a delicacy to the strange creatures and figures that inhabited outside of the glass, fighting to the death over who could get their greedy hands on me first. As long as none of them touched me, I was safe from their orders. I felt my chest swell._

_ Even though I was previously told, or thought I was told that I couldn't be harmed by anyone, it definitely wasn't the case for the one familiar boy in the red cap. Well… purple cap in this case._

_ But from what I could see, the boy was nowhere to be found. And it was this sign that made me sigh over great relief. But where was I?_

_ The arena looked very colorful, simple, but colorful. The distance looked as if it was drawn in crayon, almost like an afterthought. Sometimes the background would change on its own, as if the skies drew themselves. It was interesting at first, but it grew boring very fast. I stuck my hands in my pockets and leaned against the glass. Pretty soon, I thought, I was sure someone would find me. And when something did, my eyes went wide._

_ A gigantic green dinosaur with a big round cartoonish snout and big eyes and a long tongue. The dinosaur was very slow at finding me, even though I was right underneath his nose. Although when he did realize that I was here, a look of mischief appeared on his face. He took a moment to sniff the glass, and I got a very good view of his nostrils touching and smearing the glass. I winced slightly, sticking out my tongue, it looked kinda gross. _

_ My feeling of disgust was replaced with shock, as the dinosaur soon blasted off into the distance by a familiar looking attack. I panicked slightly, knowing what this was going to mean. I felt myself lift off of the ground, turning around towards the familiar face that I knew I wanted to see, and not see at the same time. Just not that dark Ness… not here… not now…_

_ When I opened my eyes however, I was staring back at a pair of calm, innocent but curious blue eyes that belonged to an anonymous blond boy. Come to think of it, I've seen this boy once before…_

_ This time, he managed to let me free, as I felt myself awkwardly grow up instantly to his size. And when I was fully grown, I stumbled slightly, but the boy quickly grabbed my sleeve to keep me on my feet. I looked down to him. I was slightly taller than him, I thought, but the hair that stuck up awkwardly on top of his head may have taken away from the height difference. He looked slightly fearful, as if he wasn't sure what to do. I bit my lip slightly, deciding to take over the role._

_ "Hi…" I held out my hand to him. "You need my help?" The boy was still silent, looking down at the hand I had offered him. I was starting to wonder if maybe this boy was a mute… the realization made me feel weak slightly. But soon enough, he looked up to me, smiling softly as he took my hand in return. All I could do really, was smile back, flushing slightly. He was cute, I admitted. The boy was cute._

_ "My name is Lucas…" He spoke to me telepathically. Ahhh…_

_ "Jeff," I replied out loud._

_ It was in a matter of moments however, that the entire atmosphere around us felt chilled. Both of us shivered in response, letting go of our hands. The blond boy, Lucas, plastered his hands to his mouth in awe, taking a few big steps backwards. Louder and louder… the sound of a bat, hitting something against the ground. With little surprise, I turned around._

_ Sure enough… there he was. Hammering down the already torn apart and brutally disfigured remains of that green dinosaur that, moments ago, seemed to be full of life and energy. I winced at the sight, as Ness took one last whack down to the ground with his wooden bat, blood splattering everywhere around him. I glanced back._

_ Lucas was still behind me, thankfully. I looked back. Ness chuckled darkly, standing upright, head hung low as he looked over what he had just done, disappearing, vanishing in front of us in thin air. I was surprised at myself, when I was the first one to speak up._

_ "I had a feeling you'd show up one way or the other," I told him, walking forward. The darker Ness slowly locked his cold icy eyes onto mine. He tilted his head slightly backwards, letting his eyes get a better view of me without having to move his hair out of his face. I glared at him._

_ "I see I didn't kill you off," He replied. I stopped, keeping my ground._

_ "No. You didn't." I studied him as his mouth curved into a small but wicked smile._

_ "You got Lucas to release you this time. What a coincidence…" I didn't know exactly what he meant by that, but I decided to ignore the remark._

_ "If you even dare decide to get too close to Lucas…well then I might have to kill you for good." Ness started to walk up to me. I gritted my teeth._

_ "What are you? You're definitely not real… but your intentions seem to be real enough. Just what are you, why are you set on stone to kill me? And why do you resemble him? Ness…" The dark Ness lightly laughed at this._

_ "I am Ness. Only a fool would consider otherwise," He replied. I frowned._

_ "No… you're not. That claim is invalid. Ness wouldn't do this, not by will at least." The darker Ness finally crossed his arms, standing up in a way that made himself feel confident and superior from me and Lucas. He grinned._

_ "Well then… you don't know Ness very well, do you?" He spoke. What…?_

_ "What do you mean? Aren't you just a figment of my imagination coming back to taunt me?" I asked. Ness took a moment to soak in what I had just told him, all until he busted up in roaring laughter, as he slapped his knee. I squeezed my knuckles at him. Don't be ridiculous, I thought._

_ "Hah… hah… ha… I am very real. You and I, we're the only ones here that are real," He spoke. Real?_

_ "And Lucas?" I asked. Ness snickered._

_ "Lucas isn't of your time, neither is he part of mine. But yes, I suppose you could say he's real as well," He spoke. I still didn't really understand where he was getting at._

_ "So if we're real, then why are you after me? You're a completely different Ness from what I can see."_

_ "As long as Ness, or I is without all eight melodies, Ness, or I, will always be split up like this." I tilted my head. Really…_

_ "So… you're his alternate ego?" I asked. Ness pondered the question for a bit, tilting his head from side to side, as if to try to find the right words to reply with._

_ "You could say that. You could not say that. It really depends. We're linked. I'm him. He's me. We can't exist without the other, not as long as he has PSI. As long as he wields it, I will always exist until either of us overcome the other," He spoke. I frowned._

"_So, you came to be once Ness was aware of his PSI?" I asked him. Ness smiled._

"_Now we're getting somewhere," He spoke. I frowned darkly. Something came to light in my mind._

"_So you're what made him go berserk the other day," I said. Ness flipped his hair, his black eyes focusing on mine._

"_Bingo." I wasn't sure whether the realization should have made me nervous, or just downright pissed, but for some odd reason, I didn't boil up. _

"_So as long as Ness can't overcome his fear of PSI… or you, and harness the power of the earth as his own, you will always exist, am I right?" I asked, pacing around in small line._

"_Precisely. Until he can manage to claim and overpower me, I will always exist," He spoke. "Either way… I can't allow you to be a part of his life much longer…" Ness pulled out his bat to his side, still plastered in blood from what I could tell. I snorted._

_ "You know the moment when you try to kill me here, I'll just wake up, and all of this will be a dream," I told him. Dark Ness smiled._

_ "Dreams are real as well. It doesn't matter when you wake up, I'll be watching your every move." Hah, so that was it._

_ "I'm pretty sure you tried to kill me as well that day too hmmm? It's funny, there was another bastard that tried doing the exact same thing. I can't keep count of all the enemies I have now that wants to kill me. I have a feeling I might be making another one soon to top it all off," I replied._

"_I pity you then. You're such a valuable member to his team, it would be a shame to see you fall. But it'll be much easier for me to take him as my own in the long run," He spoke. I paused, rubbing my chin, before smiling. This conversation was getting pretty interesting._

"_You know, I hope you know what you're doing, since you know, you're telling me all of this. I always find it pathetically ridiculous when antagonists spill out their evil intentions to their 'heroic' counterparts before they even finish their plan." Ness's smile darkened._

"_That's the fun part. Because you, yourself cannot defeat me. My other half is the only one that can silence me." "One of us will shine through the real world someday, even if I'm not the one yet." I snorted._

"_Aight, that sounds like a fair enough deal." I told him. "In the end, it doesn't really matter. I can't accept you for being the real thing. You aren't Ness," I told him. He could only laugh._

_ "Keep telling yourself that. You'll be sorely disappointed in the future." I crossed my arms, looking behind me, to Lucas again, which was watching our conversation from afar._

_ "I'm not telling myself this. I'm telling you this. You aren't the real Ness," I stated again. The dark haired boy finally forgot his smile and glared at me. I pointed at him, smiling to myself._

_ "Last night, Ness and I were the only ones left in the world. We were the only beings that existed in our moment of time. Not even once, did I ever sense a trace of your existence. If you really do exist, and if you really are a part of him, then you're a part of him he'd much rather forget and leave behind." I smiled, victoriously, as I could see the rage fill the boy's veins in front of us. _

_ "You…"_

_ "I love Ness. I love Paula. I love Lucas. I've barely known him for a few minutes, but I already love him. But I don't love you. Therefore, you aren't Ness. You aren't the one I held hands and kept safe from the world. If anything, I kept him from you."_

_ The look on his face was ultimately traumatizing. I could only smile at him. For once, I won. In a matter of moments however, he was back to his wicked little grin._

_ "So… that's it then," He spoke._

_ "That's it," I replied. The dark Ness was silent, staring at me._

_ "I won't let you go so easily," He spoke. "We'll meet again," He spoke, as everything around us faded to black._

_ "I'm sure we will. I'll be ready for you," I told him._

XxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 26 Three More to Go_

XxxxXxxxxXxxxXxxxX

Morning didn't seem to stumble upon me right away, as I wrinkled my nose. But when the consciousness did start to settle in, there was a sense of dread. I had no idea what that dread could have been about.

But hearing the birds outside made me think that, oh. Another day. _How dandy._ Groaning, I flipped on my side in bed, trying to burry my head under the covers. I hoped we weren't going anywhere anytime soon; I could have used a damn break from life. _Life_, I thought. Ugh.

I tried falling asleep again, I really did. But… nope, wasn't happening. Of course not. And what was worse was that, I was strangely feeling a sense of loneliness in that room. Who was I in bed with again… oh. _Oh._

I flipped over to face the fact that, I really was alone in our twin sized bed. I let my hands roam in front of me just to double check. Nope, no Ness to be found. I patted myself. No clingy Ness either. I frowned, closing my eyes. He wouldn't have just walked off, would he? And the sound of running water was starting to bug me. Hmmm… running water.

Was he taking a shower? Hmmm… It was then that I put the two words together to form the image. Shower. Ness. I slapped myself in the face, feeling my cheeks burn slightly. _Fucking pervert…_ But… maybe to make sure? I sat up, holding my head slightly to wipe the sand out of my eyes as my hand roamed the night stand next to me for my glasses. I put them on, blinking. Right in the nick of time.

The bathroom door had opened as a pair of quick feet paced out, only to crash to a halt as he spotted my form sitting up in bed. I tried not to crack a surprised expression, but I couldn't really help it when all Ness was dressed in was a towel wrapped around his hips. Ness's voice shook.

"Oh, haha, you're awake…" Ness mentioned. Yes Ness, thank you for bringing that to the light, I am very well indeed awake.

"So are you," I replied in a light monotone voice. Ness seemed to flush slightly, keeping a firm grip on the towel around his hips. I couldn't help but flush myself.

"Like you said… we're both guys," Ness noted, walking towards his stuff to claim some fresher clothes. I bit my lip. Not only was he up and walking on his own, but his voice sounded much clearer. This was good, I thought.

"You're up and energetic. You were just sick yesterday, are you doing ok?" I asked, trying not to let my eyes scan him over. Ness grunted.

"Never felt better actually. That meditating we did last night seemed to do the trick," Ness spoke confidently as he stood up with some clothes in his arms. I chuckled.

"You mean _before_ we fell asleep or…?" Ness took a moment to soak in what I had just meant.

"Oh _oh yes_, I mean _no_ I mean… _I-I don't know,"_ Ness responded, flustering in his speech. I flashed him a lazy smile. Awww.

"You know, if that helped you out physically, we could always meditate _again_ sometime," I spoke. _Oh god Jeff you trash-whore, did you just seriously suggest that?_ Maxwell would probably high-five me for that actually. Ness seemed stiff for a moment.

"That would be gr- I mean ok," He replied, before walking off again, shutting the door behind him. _Crap,_ did I make a bad move? I probably did. But then the door opened again, Ness's head poking out, gazing back at me for a moment before he walked out to me at the bedside. I blinked because what he did completely took me off guard.

Leaning down to touch my shoulder while the other hand rested at the side of my face, Ness, with ease, broke the space between us by pressing his lips against mine softly, keeping them there before separating from me again. My cheeks were a flare again, damn it! Ness looked into my eyes with a soft pair of blue-violets.

"No, of course I would. You don't realize how much everything you've done for me in the past couple of days has meant to me." Ness smirked as he ran a couple fingers through my hair before walking off happily into the bathroom. I sat there, purely dumbfounded.

I wasn't sure whether to be turned on by that or if I should feel some sort of happy giddy mushy, I don't know. But in the end, I smiled to myself, touching my lips with my fingertips. There was something about that boy, I thought. Always finding ways to surprise me. I lied back down on the bed to stare at the ceiling, letting my thoughts wander to the events of the past few days. I'm sorry Tony. I'm sorry that my life had to take such a sharp turn and that I was starting to fall in love with someone else.

xxxxx

We had gotten the word from Paula and Kato, we were finally going to do something productive today and we were going to start our day by eating breakfast at Jackie's Café. But as I showered up, something gross was settling down in the bottom of my stomach as I thought back to the incident with Kato and I. He was really starting to become a little shady…

Why and how did he know that I had that diary in the first place? And why was he so keen on holding onto it for me? I wasn't sure but…

…Maybe he had the same suspicions about me? It was hard to believe but, I don't know, possibly. He's only treated me drastically different from Ness and Paula. Why me? Why always me? It was not going to be fun to see that Asian face this morning, I'd have to strap my own fists to my belt in order for them to not become attracted forcefully to his face. That was another thing. I…

I chuckled nervously to myself as I turned off the faucet. I really didn't want to fight Kato anytime soon, remembering how he could, I don't know; stop a violent taxi car in its tracks with only his bare hands! Either way, what was up with Kato? Seriously…

"Jeff? I'm going to pack your stuff for you if you don't mind," Ness knocked on the bathroom door. I sighed. Well it didn't really matter now, did it?

"Sure, go on ahead," I responded, putting my now clean clothes on. Paula must have gotten our clothes washed while Kato and I were gone yesterday, for they were clean when I returned, even though I never gave it much thought. I'd have to thank her later.

Walking out of the door, Ness had already greeted me in the door frame, already holding his back pack and handing my own bag over, a cheeky grin spread across his face.

"Here, you'll have to get your bazooka thing yourself, it's kinda heavy," He told me. I grunted, taking the bag before scanning the room for anything else important. I grabbed my bazooka before turning back to Ness who was happily playing with his red yo-yo. Haha.

"You're such a little kid," I joked, as we walked out of the bedroom finally.

"Well… I like nostalgia," Ness responded happily. I could only smile in return, nudging his shoulder lightly.

"Well, I'm glad. As long as it isn't chugged around violently, it shouldn't break again anytime soon," I assured him, studying is face as he looked at the ground, or rather in his hand, his bottom lip tucked underneath is front teeth as he tried holding in another giddy smile.

"Good then… because I don't think I could bear it breaking on me again," He responded pausing in his tracks. It took me a moment to soak in the meaning of that sentence. I felt both happy and sad, but when I turned to Ness again, Ness had that same kind of expression that he had way back in the hospital for the first time. The one that made me realize that I may have admired him a bit more than just a friend. I slung my arm around his shoulders before kissing him lightly on the head.

"Aight. I'll promise to keep it maintained if something does happen to go wrong."

xxxxx

Ness and I were pleasantly happy that morning, for reasons we couldn't really put in words. And when we finally confronted Paula and Kato in the lobby, they looked slightly puzzled at first, but they accepted it. Paula of course, had given Ness a big fat tackling bear hug.

"Feeling better now?" Paula asked. Ness's smile was bold, as he slung a casual arm around my shoulders, catching me slightly off guard.

"I feel great now! I don't know exactly how it happened, but I feel better than I have in a long while," Ness said. When I looked at Kato, his eyes seemed to stray from the conversation. He looked uneasy for some reason, his eyes fixed on the distance away from us.

"That's great news, Ness! Maybe this has to do with all this sanctuary hunting, I think you're starting to get a better grasp on all of this," Paula commented.

"Do you think? I really hope so…" Ness trailed off, glancing at me, then back down to Paula. Paula shrugged happily.

"Well then, let's just forget about what happened the previous days and just keep pushing forward, hmm?" Paula asked, glancing at the three of us. Both of us grunted; my eyes locked onto Kato again. Pretty soon, Ness and Paula caught on.

"Kato, you doing ok?" Ness asked, cocking his head. Kato snapped out of whatever little trance he was in and looked at Ness with open eyes.

"Ahh yes, I'm fine, just lost in a couple thoughts. Are you positive you're up to today?" Kato asked. Ness nodded.

"That's what we just went over Kato," Ness smiled. Kato looked slightly embarrassed. I narrowed my eyes at him like the prick I am.

"Ahh yes, sorry. That's great news, Ness," He smiled lightly. Ness took a moment observing him like I was, cept not rudely of course. Ness smiled.

"Well ok. Let's go eat, I'm starving." It was at this moment that Kato finally caught my eyes staring at him. Kato could only look back, expression changing slightly into something that looked uneasy. Contrary to Ness and Paula's beliefs, we weren't yet a fully functional team yet. There was still something to be settled, and I was going to find out what that was. Hopefully, one way or the other. Kato broke the eye contact as Paula dragged his hand away towards the front door, Ness doing the same, but let go of my hand soon after. I guessed out of shyness?

"Don't worry about him, Jeff. I promise, he has good intentions," Ness spoke quietly, flashing me a light smile. Did he mean Kato? My mouth curved down slightly.

"Aight, I'll take your word for it," I responded. But Ness knew better that I was going to keep my guard up, just in case, but even so, I couldn't say no to his comfort.

For Ness couldn't know what the tense air between Kato and I was really about.

xxxxx

Breakfast at Jackie's Café was both giving me similar and previous bad feelings about the place, mainly because of the last time Ness and I had been here. From my knowledge, neither Paula nor Kato were ever here, so deciding to come here for breakfast was a slight surprise. My eyes kept roaming around the restaurant, and all the different items displayed on the walls. But in reality, I was distracting myself, distracting myself from the angry set of eyes across the table. Or so, I thought. Ness was enjoying his breakfast, thankfully, enough not to really notice. Paula of course would notice sooner or later, if not now. I stuck another stick of French toast between my teeth as my eyes glanced across the table.

Ironically, Kato looked just as uneasy as I was. He ordered a platter of… fruit and water. Where did he get his protein? But he did the exact same thing, glancing back across the table. It was about the billionth time, but when our eyes met, that exact instance, we looked away. This was the downside; I couldn't read him while there were others present, at least silently. If I were to study him through eyesight... I wasn't exactly sure. But it was something I struggled with, and I didn't really know why. Part of me was starting to think that Kato was thinking the same thing. I wondered if he was even aware of the four pairs of eyes that sought evil? Paula kept looking between the three of us. Ness was starting to get an idea.

"So this is a neat little place, too bad we won't be here possibly ever again," Paula noted. Everyone was basically silent, cept Kato grunted. Slightly.

"All of the rest of my sanctuaries are far away. I wonder how we'll get to most of them," Ness mentioned. "I guess we could teleport to a bunch of them if we have to…"

"Well, we're going to get you to another one today, right?" Kato asked. Ness hummed, eventually slouching in his chair, as he took out the sound stone. For a moment, he let the rock rest against his forehead, closing his eyes in deep thought.

"Three more to go," Ness spoke.

"Three more? That's great!" Paula mentioned. "And just think if today is successful, you'll only have two more to go! We're making great progress if we can get the rest of them in a short time."

"It might take a little bit longer to get to the other two though. I have a feeling they're really far away," Ness spoke doubtfully.

"Hey, either way, we'll get to them, right?" I told him. Ness took a moment and looked at me, eventually smiling like how he used to casually. I smiled back.

"Yeah, that's right," He spoke, wiping his bottom lip with his wrist. "Well, I'm done, let's say we get going?" Ness spoke enthusiastically, standing up.

"Are you sure you can handle today's mission then?" Kato asked, frowning. Ness paused for a moment, frowning slightly.

"Why couldn't I?" He asked. "I'm doing much better now." Kato however sighed.

"You weren't yesterday… you were pretty much the opposite actually," He replied. Ness could only stand there silently looking at Kato. I couldn't help but look at him myself, until all of us were fixed on him.

He looked pretty dang uneasy to say the least…

"Look, all I'm saying is that I think while you seem much better today don't push yourself too hard again, just in case." He had a point. But even so, it looked like something else was bothering him. He finally stood up.

"Aight, I guess we should get going now then. I'll have to be the leading teleporter." Kato rubbed his nose, looking down to Ness, giving him a grin. Ness could only grin in return.

"Let's go!"

xxxxx

Kato stopped us as we looked down the long stretch of road in Fourside. Plenty of people were outside, minding their own business. It looked exactly like it did the first time we came here, like a normal city.

"We shouldn't be seen here," Kato spoke. Ness frowned.

"Does it really matter that much anymore?" Ness asked. "I don't think they can really see us when we teleport." Kato looked down to the three of us.

"It's up to you then Ness… how do you want us to teleport there?" He asked. Ness paused for a moment, frowning slightly.

"Whatever works the best for you," He spoke. Kato nodded.

"Ok… well if you insist, we can teleport here and now. We may not ever come to this city in a while," He spoke. Good riddance, most of the time we were running around Fourside anyways, I thought.

"I'm ready whenever you and everyone else is Kato," He smiled. I straightened the bazooka on my back, and its added weight. I would have to get used to it, I thought to myself. Kato sighed.

"Alright then. Let's get going," He spoke, as he held Paula's hand. Paula held Ness' hand as I held his hand towards the back of the line.

"And before we knew it, the four of use ran down the street, not caring if other passerby's saw us or not. But it soon didn't matter, as all of their faces quickly rushed past us as we were now jumping high up above the clouds.

xxxxx

When we finally slowed down, all three of us had our jaws dropped down to the ground in awe.

We were so high in the sky; I could feel my ears pop uncomfortably. But it didn't matter, because I was too absorbed in our atmosphere to even care.

We were high up on a very steep, narrow landmass, on the top of a mountain high up in the sky, or that's what it seemed like at least. But I had never even thought of, or heard of a place such as this being in existence. The clouds around us swirled in the sun, even though the sun didn't really show itself to us. Everything was seemingly oriental, of course. It looked as if it had some sort of Indian influence. The gigantic marble elephant statues greeted us at what looked like a royal castle of a powerful ancient empire, the walls golden. Kato waited for us to get over our states of awe.

"Kato…"

"This… this is where you come from?" Ness spoke out loud.

"It's…" Kato looked annoyed, to be honest. As if he didn't have any pride whatsoever.

"Yes, this is where I come from. Now please, come with me," He spoke. All three of us silently complied as we followed Kato into the castle.

It was quite amazing, as we passed through. Every single person we came across, bowed down to us. Wherever this was, Kato had power. And I wasn't sure if it was power he, was proud of or not. But still… I'd give a lot to be bowed down to for the rest of my life. Who wouldn't? I examined the walls, beautiful colors and imprints on the walls, the ceilings, they were mystical and enchanting, and I was sure each image had a story to tell. There was so much in here I could discover. But now wasn't the time. Maybe sometime in the future?

We eventually walked into the throne room, from what I could tell. Paula pointed up at the ceiling, and it was soon that the three of us looked up, to meet a beautiful mural, and painting, of what looked like the universe and all of its stars, comets and planets. The lantern in the middle of the ceiling seemed to serve as the sun itself. Ness almost bumped into Kato, who was now facing the thrown. He knelt down. The rest of us looked at each other, until copying Kato's exact movements to whoever was in the thrown.

"So you've returned…" The man in the throne spoke. Kato was silent at first.

"I hope you know that you can't change your mind. What lies ahead of you is the only path you can choose, so if you've come here in defeat, I cannot change your destiny for you," He spoke to him. "You will be thrown out of the kingdom if you otherwise, resist this path given to you. You must accept it," He spoke. I looked over to Kato, whom seemed to look uncomfortable by his words.

"Spare the speech majesty, I've come here for a different kind of request," He spoke. I saw the older man's eyes travel across the three of us, until he met my eyes. For some reason, I quickly looked away.

"These are the chosen ones, are they not?" He spoke.

"Yes, your majesty," He replied. I was sure he took a moment to examine the four of us.

"The boy named Ness… may you step forward for a moment?" He spoke. The three of us glanced to Ness, almost nervously before Ness stood up and walked forward. Ness looked nervous, as he put his knee down again. However, the man held up a hand, chuckling.

"You don't have to kneel," he spoke. "Now, what brings you here?" He asked.

"Uhh… ok, so… one of my sanctuaries is here somewhere. We need to access wherever that may be… if that's ok with you that is," He spoke nervously. The man laughed.

"Now now, don't be nervous, my boy. This sanctuary of yours, if I say no to your request, you'll never save the universe, hmm?" He spoke. Ness took a moment.

"P-Precisely," He replied. The old man hummed.

"Your request is a must. Our prince is helping your journey after all, aren't you, Prince Poo?" He smiled. Kato nodded once, frown deepening. _So his name was Poo…_ I thought to myself, almost in amusement. Did he hide his name because of shame? I wasn't sure…

"Go Ness. You mustn't waste anymore time. You must go and claim this sanctuary of yours. Make your journey a successful one, with as much little effort as possible," he told him. Ness bowed slightly.

"Thank you," Ness replied.

"You do not need to thank me, just get what you need to be done. I'm sure Prince Poo will lead you there safely," He spoke. "Now go." With that, the three of us left silently, Kato leading us out quickly than he did when we entered.

xxx

One thing was for sure, Kato had tons of fangirls, all of them cheering for him and calling his name. Kato paid no mind to any of them however, as we brushed past all of them. When I looked behind us however there was a small crowd of girls following us, all of them chattering to themselves. When one of the girls giggled as she waved at me, I flushed slightly turning around. Ness sunk back next to me.

"This place is really bizarre," Ness whispered to me.

"You can say that again," I replied, keeping my voice low. "I wonder how he was able to live with crowds of women following him around all day."

"It's really pretty here though, even if it is really high up in the sky."

Sooner than later, we ended up standing in front of a black iron gate, decorated in what seemed to be bunny rabbit statues. Behind the gate, led to what looked to be a temple of some sorts.

"Your sanctuary is in here, isn't it, Ness?" Kato asked. Ness nodded.

"Sure thing it is," He replied. Kato held out his hand.

"I'll need the key then," He spoke. Ness's lips formed an 'oh' as he dug through his backpack. Ness pulled out the small orange carrot shaped key and handed it to Kato.

"I still wonder how this thing ended up back down on earth where you three reside," Kato said, as he put the key in the key hole. For a moment, the gate didn't budge, but right after, Kato quickly put two of his fingers and placed them over his left, scarred closed eye and touched the key hole. There was a sudden loud snap as the gates swung open slightly.

"Let's get your next sanctuary Ness, and once we gain that, we'll head straight to the next one, no matter how long it takes," Kato spoke. Ness looked at all of us, before each of us nodded to him in encouragement. All of us entered the temple.

xxx

All and all, the temple was very simplistic, which was surprising. It was just caves. Very old caverns, with remains, possibly soldiers, but only some spears and clothing remained. The rest of the area was bare and blank. There were enemies, plenty of enemies, some tried to ambush us while others stood their distance. These enemies however…

"These are spirits from those who's served our kingdom with honor, even if it was good honor or bad. Either way, it seems as if we aren't welcome here," Kato explained. Ness put a hand to his chest while holding up his bat with the other.

"Even if we aren't we can't stop now…" Ness replied. Kato nodded, turning around and smiling.

"Indeed Ness. It's best that we try to stay our distance from as many spirits as we can. They're known to wield wicked spells. It's a good thing we can see them," he replied. I shivered slightly. Ghosts, I thought. Okay, maybe not ghosts, spirits in literal case. That was a philosophy that I was never into at all.

"How do you know this?" I asked Kato. Kato chuckled.

"It's easy. My role in the kingdom is haunted by one," He replied. I kept my mouth shut. His role in the kingdom of being a prince? _Haunted?_

"That's kind of odd…" I replied, trying not to sound offensive. Kato shrugged.

"You don't have to believe me, Jeff," He replied in a dark monotone voice. I frowned. He took it by offense. Of course he did. Pretty soon, we all ended up at a dead end. Kato sighed.

"Sorry… I'm not quite sure how to get through this place myself…" He spoke embarrassed, as he faced us. I was the first one to catch up, followed by Ness and Paula.

"It's ok, Kato, don't worry about it," Ness replied. "We'll get there soon, it's really close." Kato smiled.

"Aight, let's turn back," Kato spoke as he started walking in the opposite direction. It was in this moment, when I felt the ground below my feet shift. It was slow at first, but soon very noticeable. And when I moved one foot, the ground below me seemingly crumbled.

! My eyes shot open, as I yelped, mid fall. And in what felt like slow motion, Kato's shocked expression followed my eyes as he reached out to catch my hand, but with little luck.

"_Jeff! Kato!"_ Paula screamed from above before their voices were too far off.

xxxxx

My back felt like spaghetti back then. Either that, or it felt like it snapped, my back lying on top of my bazooka, and even if that broke the fall, it felt as if it destroyed my back. As I tried getting up, I hissed violently, groaning as I lied myself back down. Oh god, did my back hurt. Was it broken…? I panted, this was bad, I thought. What if I was stuck here? What if no one could find me? What if-

A hand rest itself against my forehead, as I felt a healing sensation throughout my body. I closed my eyes. PSI? Ness?

"Ness, are you…?" I looked up, only to flinch slightly.

Above my body was none other than Kato, as he seemingly studied me slightly. I could smell his scentless breath with possibly a hint of grape underneath. I flushed, sitting up quickly, yelping.

"_Ah_, don't _do_ that!" I exclaimed at him. Kato stared blankly at me as I stood up, dusting myself off, as I felt the heavy weight of the bazooka on my back.

"You were hurt, Jeff," Kato replied semi coldly. I bit my lip.

"It doesn't mean you have to get that close to me," I responded, snorting. "Where are we anyways?" I asked. Kato stood up next, dusting his pants off before crossing his arms.

"How would I know?" He asked. I frowned.

"Sorry," I replied. "Let's just find the others." And that was that, I thought. And I was pleasantly surprised that Kato said nothing to me. And I said nothing back. As long as we stayed like this, I thought, nothing would go bad, right?

Our path led down to another cavern, one which seemed to lead…

"Here, already?" Kato asked out loud. I bit my lip as I looked up to him, and looked ahead.

Sure enough, there was that certain glowing light that signified the end of the tunnel.

"They should have followed us haha, that was really fast," I said. Kato could only grunt. There was only one problem however. Ness was the only one, or should I say, the key to triggering the fight in the first place. So what were we to do, except just stand there, and wait for Ness and Paula to catch up? My stomach turned slightly. That meant we had to wait. Alone. By ourselves.

"I want answers," I immediately spoke. Kato looked down at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Whaaat kind of answers?" He asked. I shot him a cold glare.

"First off, why did you take the diary away from me? Do you not trust me?" I asked. Kato smirked slightly.

"Yup," He responded simply. My jaw dropped slightly, I replied haughtily.

"Well then… I don't trust you either," I replied, looking away crossing my arms grumpily. Kato chuckled.

"I'm kidding," He replied tauntingly.

"Yeah, well I'm not," I replied.

"Yes you are." I glared up at him again, my glare faltering when he looked back down at me, a small smirk plastered across his face.

"Do you think this is funny? That journal is… it's important! And you're keeping it from me like a dog treat; do I have to beg for it on my knees and bark for it?" I ranted. Kato took a moment to observe me, cupping his chin as his smirk grew.

"I maaay be able to make an acceptation if you did that," He replied. My face grew hot in embarrassment. _No,_ I thought. I'm _not_ begging like a dog.

"Why are you _doing this_?" I asked again.

"What? Why am I keeping that book from you? Because you're hiding it from everyone else," he replied. I gritted my teeth.

"Well guess what, you're doing the _**exact same thing**_ aren't you?" I replied. Kato shrugged.

"S'not like I'll read it behind my allies' backs when it contains pretty valuable information about what we could be facing," He replied. I frowned.

"So you think I'm turning my back against everyone? Why would I do that?" I asked.

"I wouldn't know," he replied. I growled with frustration.

"This is getting us nowhere…" I slapped my forehead.

"You're right, it isn't. So what will?" He asked.

"What will what?"

"Get us somewhere."

"I… like I said, I can't show Ness yet. I think…"

"He'd hate you for it?" The realization of the word _hate_… I surrendered slightly.

"So, it will never see the light of day. Not until you're ready to show this to _everyone_." He replied.

"How can I trust that you'll keep your word though? I barely know you…" Kato finally took me by surprise by putting a hand on my shoulder and looking at me straight in the eye. Our eyes clashed slightly.

"You have my word. This book will _never_ see the light of day. Ever. Not until you're ready," He spoke in a softer tone. I bit my lip. Even though our distance wasn't very close, it still felt as if he was invading my privacy. But the way he said it… I winced.

"If you don't keep your word, I'll tear you to shreds," I replied. "That's an order." Kato smirked.

"Yes, _your majesty_," He replied. I grumbled illegibly to myself; I kept myself from looking at him now. Obviously, I was uncomfortable around him on a high level already. I tried thinking… something…

"_Why the hell did you beat the crap out of me when we first met?"_ I demanded loudly. Kato picked at his ear with his pinky in response.

"Ah, it's normal in my country to have a small quarrel when you greet another warrior. Or male," He replied. "Eh, besides you look like the type of person that needs to be beat up." My jaw dropped.

"_What?_" I asked, or moreso demanded. Kato snickered.

"You're just fun to tease," He replied. "I like your spunk and spurts of loud anger, it's different." I cocked my head.

"So, you like my spunk and spurts of anger, and I look like the kind of person that needs to be beaten?" I asked. Kato sighed.

"Mmm." I paused.

"I guess you aren't the only one that's done that before," I replied honestly. _Wait, _what was I saying, I was admitting to myself that I looked like a _complete douche bag_? Ok, maybe I am one in a sense but…

"But to be honest," He continued. I looked up at him.

"Your eyes really compliment mine," He replied. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. I was totally lost now.

"…Since when did I _ever_ compliment you, in any way, shape, or form?" I asked. Kato smiled.

"Compliment as in friendly or compliment as in opposite?" He asked. Oh yeah… complimentary stuff… _right_.

"So you're red, and I'm green kind of a deal?" I asked. Kato laughed.

"Mmmm drop the color concept. I just feel repulsed from looking at you in the eye," He said. Really now?

"The same can apply to me too," I said. "You're kinda repulsing period." Kato raised an eyebrow at me while narrowing his eyes.

"Well you are." I stood my ground. "Kinda." Kato snorted.

"Whatever. _Wise-ass._" I flashed him a grin.

"Yes, indeed."

"So you admit it?"

"Of course I do." A swift hand lightly blurred my vision. _Slap._ I recoiled.

"Wh- what the hell?" I pouted, straightening my glasses.

"Hmmm?"

"Why'd you slap me?" I demanded. Kato shrugged.

"I just felt the need to state my agreement to your stance of being a wise-ass. So I high-fived your face." I growled.

"Well, we don't high five each other's faces where I come from," I told him.

"They should. Because your reaction was priceless." As I felt my anger slightly rise, I tried to raise a hand, to return the favor somehow. Then the memory of him stopping the taxi occurred in my mind, which made me withdraw my hand to my face.

"Whatever. You win." I responded. Kato was silent. I sighed.

"Just. Please keep your promise, ok?" I asked seriously. And for the moment, all we could hear was the small air drafts that filled the caves. Then the sound of someone kneeling down to the ground. Whatever that sounded like.

"I promise." I opened my eyes, and surely, Kato looked back at me, eyes serious and intense as ever. My eye trailed slightly between his black and white eyes before the both of us were distracted by the sound of a girls voice from far off.

"Yoooo!" Paula shouted. Ness waved his arms like a dork, I thought. The both of them seemed perfectly fine, I thought.

"Hey. Did you two fair alright?" Kato asked.

"Yeah. We didn't really run into much," Ness responded. "Maybe they understand why we're here."

"How about you two?" Paula asked. I didn't know what to say, but Kato took on the talking roll, as he lightly punched my shoulder.

"We were just hanging out here. You two should have followed us down the hole we fell down, it happened to be a short cut," He replied.

"That's great!" Paula responded as Ness looked at me.

"You ready?" He asked. Mind half there, but half in the past, I nodded in response. Ness cocked his head slightly, knowing that something was on my mind. Soon, everything was disregarded however as Ness approached the soft light that glowed in front of us.

"Hello, Ness. I have been waiting for you for some time now. Are you ready to try to claim this sanctuary as your own?" The voice spoke. There was something different about this sanctuary, I instantly thought. It was as if the being guarding the place was accepting the fact that we were about to cease their existence, and in a sense it sent shivers down my spine. We were getting so close to achieving our goals, would it be this easy for these last few legs?

"I am," Ness replied. "I need to save the world." Ness's voice was confident today. Unlike only a few days ago. I smiled at that.

"Very well. We shall determine who will pass and who will not." And with that, the light transformed, transformed into what looked to be a couple of clouds. I was perplexed at first, but not as much as when the two clouds intertwined and resembled spirits. The golden cloud had an angular face and a sinister grin. The other face was more plump and round, their expression was slightly mute.

When the two worked together, they created a storm of lightning and wind. We all covered our faces, but Ness replied quickly by launching a PSI attack that gave off a bright flash. The clouds groaned slightly.

"Jeff! Now's your chance to examine them!" Ness told me. Examine them? I guess it's worked in the past… As the flash died down, I took the chance to let my eyes scan the two clouds over. I stepped closer to them, trying to be quick about it. The air for some reason became thick and hot, and I couldn't take a step further. These two needed to be cooled off, I instantly thought.

"Try freezing them!" I replied, stepping back, while taking out my zap gun and aiming at them. I wasn't sure if it would do anything or not, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to do so.

Paula responded by launching a PSI Freeze, Kato doing the same thing in unison.

A loud groan came from the clouds, as they tried to counter with another thunder attack, in hopes to heat themselves back up again. The thunder was severe, as it tore through the entire cavern. I flinched, as a wave of lightning just barely grazed my shoulder. Lightning however, hit Paula right on, as she screamed slightly.

"Paula!" We exclaimed. Kato ran to her side to heal her, but Ness stopped him.

"I'll heal, use your freeze!" He ordered.

"Alright!" He replied, launching another devastating attack, while I shot again with my puny laser gun. Sooner than later, Paula was back on her feet as she joined the attacking spree once more.

And before we knew it, after Ness unleashed another blinding attack, the being let off a groaning wail as it started to evaporate into the air.

All of us stood still as we watched the being disappear in surprise.

"Well done, Ness. You may pass," Were the last words it spoke before it disappeared completely.

All of us were completely dumbfounded. Was that really it?

"That was…"

"… Kinda pathetic," Kato added. Glancing at Ness, he didn't seem to mind, as a wide grin spread across his cheeky face.

"Well. One down, two more to go!" He spoke. And to be honest, that was all we really needed to care about.

xxxx

As we walked out to the sanctuary, we were outside again, high in the sky as the sun shown down on us, and made what looked to be a pink cloud hovering above us glow and shimmer like cotton candy. It was really strange, I thought to myself. Now I was craving cotton candy, dang it.

There wasn't too much of a sensation this time, I thought, except slight refreshment. For Ness however, he looked absorbed in the moment, like he always did. When the moment finally died, Ness took a moment to look out into the distance. The wind blew past our ears, as Ness looked back at us.

"How are you feeling?" Kato asked. Ness for a moment frowned slightly, until replacing it with something upside down. Was he contemplating?

"For a moment, something strange happened, but it's gone now," He said.

"What kind of feeling?" I asked. Ness paused; as he let his eyes gaze out into the sky again.

"I'm not sure. I guess it has to do with the fact that I'm not sure what will happen when I retrieve all of my sanctuaries." My thoughts trailed to last night's dream.

"_Until he can manage to claim and overpower me, I will always exist,"_ The Dark Ness from my dreams told me.

"We'll also never know if we don't make it either," Kato pointed out. "Whatever happens, we'll be there by your side." Kato seemed pretty good then, talking like a noble warrior. There were still so many questions I needed to ask him…

"Well… I guess we're done here," Ness spoke. So… does this mean we need to get to Scaraba now?" He asked.

"I believe so," Kato replied.

"Yes, that's what we need to do next, I'm sure of it," Paula commented. Ness paused, only to grin boldly sooner than later.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" We all nodded, as Ness quickly grabbed Paula's and soon my hand as well. When Kato joined in the group, I hesitated before Kato took a firm grip on my other hand, looking me in the eye a little calmer before.

Then we dashed out of there.

xxxx

I rubbed my head as we walked back towards the docking area of Summers. The sun was already setting, but it looked stormy when I looked beyond the horizon of the sea ahead of us. I frowned. But Paula insisted, right?

"Somewhere here," Paula paused. "Somewhere here, we need to go. To Scaraba." Everything seemed to fall into plan after she stated that.

A familiar face greeted us from afar, as he stood by his boat.

"Isn't that the husband of the woman who made the magic cake?" Paula asked.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Ness replied, as we made our way towards him.

"Hey, were you the bunch of kids that found my wife for me last week?" He asked.

"Depends on who you mean," Paula replied. "Was she the woman who was at the Stoic club?" The man's whiskers spread as he smiled boldly.

"That's my wife! Thank you kids so much, she's settled back to her normal self and I can talk to her normally again! I don't know how to repay the favor!" He said. Ness looked along the docks, looking at the boats as they shimmered in the sunset.

"Hey, I know! Do you kids need a ride somewhere across the sea?" He asked. Ness looked slightly dumbfounded.

"Well, er…" Paula giggled.

"We would like to get to Scaraba so far, but we realize how far that probably is, so we're trying to find a boat or ship that might travel there," She replied. To our surprises, the man laughed boldly.

"I was gonna say, I was about to make my way there!"

The four of us glanced at each other. Well that was easy. Well… until I looked out at the sea again. I could feel an uncomfortable lump sink down into my stomach. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Would it… really be ok?" Ness asked. Kato cut in.

"You sail alright, don't you? I mean… you're a safe driver, right?" He asked.

"O' course I am! I've been doing this trip for 15 years, we can handle it! I just hope you four don't get seasick…"

Sadly however, I was a likely candidate for that. I gulped, but then Ness nudged me, as if letting me know that everything would be alright. I sighed.

"You don't look too excited boy," He added. I shivered slightly, glancing at the water.

"Just a slight fear of deep water. I'll get over it soon," I replied. The man chuckled.

"I'll go easy on her then," He replied. "O course, if we don't run into any complications along the way…"

"C-complications?" Ness asked. I sighed. Oh goodie.

"There be rumors that the Kraken 'be appearing again. O' course, it's just a rumor, and I've never ran into the creature myself," He spoke.

As much as I would have protested, Ness slapped his chest in spirit.

"We can handle such a thing if we run into it," He replied. The man studied him for a moment.

"You seem really confident. Alright! I guess I can't say no to you young faces. You kids get on the boat, and I'll be right back; gotta make a few preparations before we take off!"

I could feel my knees buckle under me slightly. This was not going to be fun. But then, the feeling of a hand resting on my shoulder, and then another one slapping the other and a small hand holding mine assured me otherwise. I sighed, chuckling slightly.

"At least you guys know how I feel about water…" I told them.

"It'll be fine, we promise," Ness told me. Paula was the first to climb up on the boat, followed by a slow Kato, as he glanced at the sunset across the sea. Ness was third, making sure to drag me along with him. He flashed me a cheerful smile. I could only smile back, even if it was slightly tentative.

One thing was for sure, we were finally getting somewhere with this journey.

Even if it were to take us the next few months, we would get there. As long as we had each other, I thought.

That was all I really needed to get across the ocean, I thought to myself, smiling at the setting sun.


	27. No Pain, No Gain

_ A/N: Thank you, Revu, No Name (blank), YaoiGirly, redtheyoshi, Mihakuu, Treehugger19, TomBoy247, the same anonymous again, FawfulGrox, and Nessie-DoMiSol!_

_ So holy crap, wow. Bet you guys weren't expecting this, were you? I wasn't expecting this either. But I thought, since I was in the mood, I'd try to get this chapter done as soon as possible. We'll see if I can keep this up with my next chapter as well. ; ) And I guess I'll answer a few questions while I'm at it._

_ To the same anon- I apologize if maybe I didn't get this information in as clearly as it should have been (that's the bad thing about writing such dang long chapters!) But I guess I kind of made it to where all of them were aware of Kato's other name Poo, but didn't really want to talk about it much. Luckily for you, that's one of the things I wanted to focus on in this chapter, so I hope I answered your question here!_

_ Also, to FawfulGrox, I lol'd at that typo you found (the whole Jeff putting an arm around Ness's waste, that's gross!) Eee, yeah, my typos tend to be bad, and I apologize. I might, when I'm done with this story if it gets done, go back in and fix some things. : )_

_ A lot more happens in this chapter than I originally planned. It also played out much differently than I originally thought of too. We're starting to see a few characters develop, hopefully over these next few chapters. (well dang, that would be really strange if they didn't develop after what they're about to go through!) And I am typing like a drunk right now apparently, and it is cold!_

_ Anyways, thank you guys so much for understanding what's going on and your support! I love you all, and you all have inspired me to try and continue this story as much as I can. If I can get at least the next chapter done, it shouldn't be too hard then, right? We'll see, hopefully it won't be. : ]_

_ Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

XxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxX

I literally held onto my stomach as the boat rocked back and forth. Back and forth… back and forth… …back and forth. I cringed, as I felt my stomach give way again.

I had been like this for about five hours now, as I checked my watch. We had left the shore of summers around eight in the evening when the sun was setting and it was almost one in the barely qualifying morning, and I had hurled into the ocean… I'd say about five times since we departed, and each time I did, I was scared to death at the deep, deep waters before. They seemed more violent, which didn't help at all. Ness and Paula started to worry about me, but Kato on the other hand didn't seem to really care. Well… I think he did, just in a different way.

The funny thing was; I wasn't the only one that was getting sick. The boat driver, after talking to his wife over the phone had gained a bit of sea sickness himself. He hadn't thrown up, but the fact that he even had the urge to do so was fascinating. Like he said, a _sailor_ that gets sea sick? Hah…

"So, the oriental kid in the corner. Haven't seen your face around with these kids before, where you come from?" The sailor asked. Since my eyes were staring at the wall as I lied down, I couldn't see anyone. Kato sighed slightly.

"From a far off country named Dalaam," He replied. "It's much farther from Summers than Scaraba is, by far."

"So you kids are on an adventure then, eh? If you kids come from far off places, you must be! Do your parent's get worried at all?"

"Nah… not really," Ness replied. "But yeah, you could say that we're adventurers."

"Well… maybe not Jeff right now," Kato intervened. I cringed slightly, feeling another wave of nausea. The sailor laughed.

"I'm sure we'll be getting there over night," He said. Overnight? Ugh, I wasn't sure if I could last that long…

It was that thought that the boat gave a violent shake as we felt ourselves rise and sink into the water more steeply than we should have. Oh god…

I scrambled up, holding in my stomach before grasping my mouth and making a dash towards the door. When I scrambled outside…

_CRASH!_

My heart stammered as I was blinded by lightning, but I had bluntly ignored it because of my urge to throw up, and when I did, I could feel the last bit of my acid escape my stomach. It didn't help the fact that my face was being entirely soaked in rain. Every time I hurled into the ocean, I had to make sure not to leave my glasses on. _That would be bad…_

When I opened my eyes, I could see my hands gripping the railing for dear life as the boat rocked in a faster rhythm. _And the thunder…_

_We were stuck in the middle of a storm in the middle of the sea. _

"Jeff, you should probably go back inside, it's pretty bad out here…" Ness approached me, as he rubbed my back to try and soothe my nausea with his PSI, but it really was no use whenever he did it.

"I… I can't help it, this is frightening," I told him, shaking from the cold. I tried looking up to Ness with my blurry eyesight. Ness looked back at me, mouth open a gap in attempt to say something, as if he was at a loss of words.

Or so, I _thought_ he was looking back at me.

"Jeff… _get back inside."_

The tone in his voice was more frightening than the storm.

The boat gave another violent rumble, as the both of us tumbled down to the floor.

"Ness!" I gasped, trying to stand my way up, but with no luck whatsoever.

"Jeff, stay down, I don't think you can handle this one!" Ness exclaimed as I felt him stand up again. This time, I heard another roar.

_But it wasn't the roar of thunder,_ I thought.

"What is that?" Paula yelled.

"It's… it's the Kraken…" The sailor stated. Ness growled. The boat lunged again. I felt my head slam against the wall of the boat cabin. I hissed.

The roars were more noticeable now, as I tried to open my eyes and sit up. I tried to slip on my glasses again, in attempt to actually see what was happening. Though in that instance, I almost wanted to take off my glasses.

As the rain splashed my freckled cheeks, I saw in the darkness, what looked to be a giant serpent. I couldn't tell if it was gray or green in the dark, but its red hairs, or spikes were a blaze as it flashed its sharp teeth in the lightning. Then a flash. And then a blast of cold air. The beast screamed, as I slipped my glasses back off.

Then the boat jerked again, more violently than before, as I was launched onto my feet, feeling my glasses chatter onto the wooden floor. I was sure now that I was in my hurling position, but the question was, was I about to hurl out my insides, or _was the boat about to hurl me instead?_

The next part changed everything.

When the boat shook one more time, I had lost my footing. And my grip on the railing slipped. I was separating.

_**"Jeff!" **_ I heard someone scream, before the water swallowed me. Before I could react. _Before I could… oh my god._

The first thing I thought was that it was_ so cold. So cold… so cold and salty. Nothing but cold, liquid salt as it tried to choke me, and my now already stinging eyes that I tried to keep closed, I really did. For that, I couldn't see a thing, or breathe for the matter._

_ I tried to swim up, to gasp for air, flailing around like a kitten, reaching up for dear life. _

_ But the more I struggled, the more I sank. Deeper… and deeper…_

_ My biggest fear. Drowning in this darkness that controlled my ever being, as my body memorized the deadly soothing rhythm of the waters._

_ And the only thing that existed then were the last of my thoughts, as my lungs started to run out. This was it, I thought. I was about to die, and the world soon after._

_ A heart beat. Beating… beating…_

It was in this state of mind, that I could barely register the feeling of one's hand reaching out to my own. But it was in that moment, where the beating had finally quieted down, as I felt an arm wrap around me.

Without thinking, I clung back, clung back for dear life.

XxxxxxxXxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 27 No Pain, No Gain_

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

"You got him enough blankets, right?"

"We set him next to the fire, this is the best we can do for now."

Voices.

"Thank you."

Then the sun.

Then a slight burning sensations under my eyes, as I could see light. I was afraid to open my eyes. That was when of course, my head hurt the most. Part of my brain registered my current location, but the other half was still lost out at sea somewhere. My body still knew the rhythm of the ocean. The random thought of my youth at the beach occurred suddenly. It hurt to breathe… slightly.

I felt a pair of extra warm hands cover my eyes and forehead as I began to breathe short, shallow breaths.

"Ness, I think he's starting to come to," I heard a young girl's voice say. Paula? I hoped I really wasn't losing half of my brain by then.

"Even so, we can't continue if he's down like this," Ness spoke in a sulk. I tried to speak, but all of my words were mute.

"I hate to say it but… with Jeff having no PSI, he tends to be the most vulnerable, given the circumstances of the situation," I heard another familiar voice. Poo…?

_Was Poo his name?_ Even if it wasn't, what he just spoke sent a stone onto my already flattened stomach. Speaking of my stomach…

"It's a good thing his glasses didn't follow in with him; they were smarter than to jump into the ocean."

"Kato, _stop._ It's not like he jumped in there on purpose…" Ness defended.

"One of the things any person should learn to do while growing up is to swim. That's-"

"Kato. _Please._ Even if Jeff _could_ swim, it wouldn't have helped much without the aid of his glasses, and even if he did have his glasses, there was a strong chance of him losing them. And not to mention, _we were in the middle of a storm._ He did all he could," Ness stated. I shivered.

"I…" The three of them were silent.

"Jeff?"

_"… I'm…" _ "_I"_ was the only thing I could speak then. I felt another hand on my forehead as another healing sensation helped my troubled mind. I calmed down.

"Whatever. I just hope he doesn't lash out at anyone when he wakes up." The sound of a curtain moving aside; as I felt a presence move away. I sighed a staggered breath.

"Ness… Paula…" I started to speak, before I finally could open my eyes. My dry, stingy eyes, I thought, as I was momentarily blinded by more light. Then the atmosphere changed, and I was looking at two faces above me. A wall that seemed to be made of stone provided the ceiling above.

"Jeff. How are you feeling?" Ness asked; voice full of worry. I frowned, feeling my arm; it felt like spaghetti, as I tried attaching the back of my hand to my forehead.

"Digested…" I replied. In actuality, that wasn't the best way to describe how I was currently feeling, but it really did feel like the ocean consumed me while I was in it.

"My head huts… my eyes sting… I can't feel my stomach… and half of my brain is lost," I replied slowly.

"This is bad," Ness thought. I looked up at Ness, whom almost looked as if he was in the verge of tears. I lazily slung an arm out at him, trying to take his hand.

"I'll be ok… I'll be ok…" _Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Jeff._ Ness's eyes were open as he looked down to me. He accepted my hand.

"We didn't think you'd fall into the ocean, you scared us," Paula replied. I shivered, though, Ness's warm hand lightly grasped mine, and they felt warm. Warm and dry for once. Just like the air. It was strange, I thought.

"Are we… here?" I asked suddenly.

"Yes, we're in Scaraba now. It's morning, but we're going to spend the first day here to let you rest," Paula said. I grunted in reply.

"So… what exactly happened?" I dreaded to want to know. I kept my eyes closed, by then, trying to remember the horrific thoughts, but keeping them at distance, so they couldn't consume me.

"Well… the Kraken appeared, like he said. And you fell in the ocean during the fight. Paula nor I didn't even notice because we were so focused on defeating the Kraken… which we did." My brain processed this information slowly.

Then the thought hit me, as the kinesthetic memory floated back to me.

"If… you and Paula didn't notice me drop into the ocean… then who…?" I remembered the strong hand that sought out mine, as the protective arm took me in. It was then that the sound of the heart beat settled down.

I opened my eyes slightly as I saw Paula and Ness exchange awkward glances.

"Kato… Kato was the one that saved you," Paula explained.

My head swam. Kato…? Kato… or…

"You mean…?" In that instance, the curtain flew open again, and the similar voice spoke up again.

"Hey Ness. The chief wants to talk to you," I could hear him say seriously. I could feel Ness's soft grip let go of mine.

"Alright," He said, while getting up. I let my eyes casually drift to the ceiling, all the while trying to avoid something that lingered in the room. I let my eyes drift to Paula for a moment.

Paula had run a couple dainty fingers through my blond hair before smiling at me.

"I'm sure you'll be fine soon. Just take it easy for today," She told me. _Thank god_, I thought…

"Thanks… Paula…" I thanked her. But then… in the background.

Why did I feel as if half of the air in here went back down to freezing temperatures?

xxxx

Time passed by as I lingered in and out of sleep, and it was in this time that I tried blocking every thought that passed through my brain out of me. It seemed like I was getting pretty good at that, ever since Ness and I had our "meditation" session together. I wouldn't mind that… actually.

Most of all, I kept count of who sat next to me while I slept. Sometimes it was Paula. Other times Ness. And other times, both. But this time…

My heart sank slightly, as my eyes sought out who was sitting next to me that time. My eyes found a pair of grumpy eyes, one black the other white. And while I thought I would be repulsed by them at an instance… for some reason I wasn't that time.

Maybe it was because of how weak I was. Maybe because he was in a better mood because I wasn't stubborn towards him then. Maybe it was because I was without my glasses, and he was somehow just barely in the ranks of my clear vision. Or maybe it was because of some reason I wasn't even aware of yet.

But his eyes were slightly perplexed, as he sat cross-legged, his jaw planted in his right palm as he looked down upon me, expression plainly bewildered, with a twinge of annoyance. And I wasn't sure if that was a good thing… or a really bad thing.

When I was positive that he was aware I was awake, I looked up at him in return. I had no idea what kind of expression I was showing then, whatever it was, I hope he didn't take any offense.

Poo? No… _Kato? _ No, his name was Poo, I was sure of it.

"And yet he survives once more," He barely muttered, with an emotional accent I couldn't quite pin point in the moment. I could only grunt.

"Where's Ness and Paula…?" I asked him.

"Out doing errands before we head out into the desert," He replied. The desert…

"We're in the desert?" I asked.

"Only have been here for about eight hours now," He replied. Oh…

"Sorry… my mind's not in the game right now," I told him. In all honesty though, my head started to feel better though. There was no more sick feeling at least. Only slight aches, heaviness and the feeling of my body trying to sway with the water still.

"Oh don't worry. Your mind will be back soon," He replied.

"Thanks," I told him. He chuckled.

"No. Take it more as an order than anything," He told me. Oh… _dandy._

"I see…" I sighed. Well this was starting to become awkward, I thought.

"You had us worried, you know," He added. My slow mind rephrased that sentence.

"Why did you…"

"Why did I?"

"… you know…"

"No, I don't know."

"Yeah, you do…"

"Did you… go after me?" I asked again. Ka-Poo seemed to puff out some air lightly.

"Depends what you mean," He replied. I wanted to growl in frustration. Instead, I lightly grasped my forehead, trying to phrase the sentence I wanted to say in my head, bold, straight and clear for him to _understand._ He was just being stubborn.

"Did. You. Dive. Into. The. Ocean. To. Save. My. Life. After. I. Fell. Into. The. Ocean?" Poo- Poo chuckled.

"That's a lot of sudden pauses for such a simple question," He told me. I let my hands slide down to my sides as I let my eyes drift up to his now slightly cocky face. He smiled.

"You could say that," He replied. "It's not like I could just let you drown or anything, that wouldn't do any of us any good, now would it?" I sighed through my nose. He really didn't need to be so complicated in this moment, I thought thoroughly. He took the moment to look at me again in the eyes, smile slightly visible still before closing his eyes.

"You're going to have to get up sooner or later. We aren't on vacation anymore."

"It's not like can help it," I told him.

"Maybe if you've had swimming lessons before, you wouldn't be like this right now," He told me. I growled at him, finally deciding to let myself try and sit up in protest.

"I didn't grow up in a place where I could swim, alright? So I never learned-" And it was in this moment, when I did sit up, that my head didn't agree with me. Not one bit. It didn't stop him from letting off a small laugh.

"Well at least you have enough energy to be stubborn," he told me. I tried to force myself to stay sitting up, but even so, the room still swam around us. My glasses, I thought. I felt around, all until a hand gestured in front of my eyes.

"Thanks…" I sighed, retrieving them and placing them on. I blinked. Ugh…

"Also, you should probably take the time to walk around before night time. You know, so you can get your coordination back," he said. I paused.

"By tonight?" His laugh had a bit or dry and dark humor in it.

"Yeah, tonight. You'll see why," he said, standing up.

"You'll get more than just your coordination back after this next coming week through the desert," he spoke before walking out of the door.

_"You'll get more than just your coordination back after this next coming week through the desert…"_ What was that supposed to mean?

xxxxx

So eventually, I did get up, but let me tell you, it wasn't easy at first. My body wanted to waddle in every direction it could, and it was thanks to both Ness and Paula that I could start to remember what walking felt like with their support. But when I finally could start walking on my own again, Ness handed me a fresh loaf of bread that had been decorated with melted cheese and pepper and a few fruit to nurture my stomach. It was delicious, and somehow I didn't throw it back up. As I finally stepped outside; munching on my new snack, I literally had to shield my eyes from the strength of the sun's rays. Ness laughed.

"You'll get used to it, I hope. At least it should get you warm pretty fast," Ness explained. Paula stayed back where we were; which apparently was a _"luxurious, first class hotel,"_ doing some preparations for the long trip we had ahead of us. I blinked, still feeling the slight sting on the corners of my eyes. My eyes had always been sensitive to the sun anyways, I thought.

Ness hooked his arm into my own and held my hand, as if to guide me around the Arabic city we were in.

The first thing I noticed was that everyone wore white and lightly colored clothing, probably to block from the sun easier. Everyone wore some sort of bright sheet on their heads, some people wore see-through sheets over their noses, and some didn't. Ness handed me a wet towel, just in case if I needed it. Like I need to get _wet_, I thought almost bitterly. But besides that, I was finally content, possibly because now it was just Ness and I, even though I didn't really know what we were doing.

"I was really worried," Ness told me. I frowned.

"You do that too much," I replied. Ness gave me a funny look.

"Would you rather me not worry?" He asked. In all honesty, kinda.

"Just know that I'll be ok, either way," I smiled at him. Ness smiled back, before hugging my arm close to him for a moment. After walking past a couple vendors, and purchasing a few food items, a random thought passed through my head that I couldn't avoid bringing up.

"Did I need CPR?" I asked, hoping for an interesting answer in return, slightly crossing my fingers. Instead, as we passed a small vendor, Ness tried holding in a huge snicker. I raised an eyebrow, munching into my roll again.

"What's so funny?" I chuckled. Ness's hand was over his mouth, cheeks flushed. Awww yeah! _Ness so gave me CPR!_ It was the first thought that ran through my mind happily.

"Yes, you did, but it wasn't me," He replied. All my hopes and dreams. _Broken._ But then who? Paula I didn't think would be suitable or strong enough physically for giving me CPR, so… Kato? Poo? My heart sank very low at the almost frightening thought.

"Wh-who was it then?" I asked. Ness's laughter increased slightly. _This was a serious topic, Ness!_

"The Sailor," He replied with a chuckle. I didn't throw up, but I did nearly gag, and snort at the same time, almost wanting to laugh. But really? I guess it made sense…

Wait a second _no, I kissed an old man?_ I _had whiskers on my lips?_ _**AH!**_

"He was the one that knew how to do it best out of all of us anyways," Ness told me, as we looked at another vendor. There was a lot of food on display. For pretty decent prices too, I thought to myself. Maybe that's what we were doing, I thought. I rubbed my head.

"Well… you said thank you to him for me, I'm guessing…"

"Obviously." A small smile crept on me. At least he saved me too, I thought.

"So… what's going to happen next?" I asked him. "Do we know where we're going yet, or…?" Ness picked out a couple more good fruit for us to bring along. Apparently we were bringing lots of food!

"We need to get to the pyramids. By foot, they're almost a week away," He told me. _A week?_

"A week walking through the desert Ness? I don't know if that's…"

"Don't worry Jeff. Remember, I can cure sunstroke easily now, and if we get tired, we'll just take a break. Anyways, I've spoken to the chief here, he knows what we're doing and he's been expecting us. And the path we're taking has a bunch of oasis stops along the way, we'll be fine." Oasis, eh? Well that was something, I thought. But I just knew that my feet were going to kill me…

"We might even ask for rides to some of the stops along the way, we may or may not even have to walk the whole way. It'll be a matter of luck, really," He told me. Hmmm…

The rest of the time was just between us, as we walked through the busy streets, hand in hand. Ness was cute, sometimes he would poke me shyly if our small conversations were muted for too long; or other times he would tease me, whenever I brought up my still kind of hazy feeling I had from being plunged into the ocean. Somehow, all of that was behind us now, and we almost treated it as a joke now. It was kind of strange, almost sudden, I thought to myself. But he was happy and I was happy, and when I saw him smile at me like he did, it always gave me slight butterflies, even if we were closer and aware of our feelings now.

Ness turned to me when we were at one of the last vendors and pointed out the many small gadgets and junk lying about.

"Is there anything her you might need?" He asked. Admittedly, the stand perked my interests, as I bit into the last bit of fruit I had in my hand. Just… a lot of junk, I thought. My eyes trailed to what looked like an unassembled arsenal weapon though, as I picked the gadget up to examine it.

"We found that thing a week ago, left behind by a chubby kid wearing a red suit, we don't know what model it was supposed to be, but if you want it, we can give you a discount," the man running the stand told me.

Ness and I exchanged serious looks to each other. Pokey… we both thought at the same time. _So the bastard was ahead of us…_

I looked at the small gun. The bastard had guns now, I thought. The look on Ness's face was serious, as he looked away in the distance. I put the broken gun back down. There were a few thoughts in my mind right now.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Ness asked me. I frowned.

"This is going to sound bizarre… my head's not probably here when I say this, but I'd kinda feel bad if I replaced my gun with something else… and it's kind of awkward to know that I'm touching something Pokey has in the past…" It almost made me nauseous anymore, which was why I put it down as soon as I could. And even so, I didn't have the heart then to replace the gun I did have, which was really strange, seeing that gun was a gift from my jerk dad, it was strange. Ness's smile faltered slightly.

"I'd also like to see if I can get that damn bazooka fixed again… it worked when I found it, but it totally gave out the second time." I had my hand cupping my chin as I thought to myself, scanning the place.

"I like how you look when you're deep in thought," Ness suddenly spoke. I glanced at him, taking a double shot before rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. _Haha…_

"I'm more of an airhead right now than anything," I replied. Ness chuckled.

"You could have had me fooled." I flashed him a small smile. I stretched my arms above my head.

"Well… I guess it's starting to get darker… at least my coordination is better," I told Ness. "Why did I have to get it back by night time?" I asked him. It was a stupid question, even his expression agreed with me.

"Your coordination? What about it?" Ness asked. Oh, erm…

"Well… Kato told me to be back on my feet and normal by night time… I don't really know why by night time, but I guess…"

"I'm guessing he just wants you to be prepared for tomorrow," He replied as we made our way back to the hotel. I grunted.

"That's the only thing I can think of too," I told him. Ness squeezed my hand.

"Everything will be good," he reassured me. I let my eyes examine him real fast. He looked a little tired, but overall, I enjoyed his calm nature that day. I gave him a soft hug before pressing my lips slightly against the side of his head. I think that probably hushed him on the way back.

We walked towards the sun, hand in hand.

xxxxx

I was a little tentative as I let the strands of warm water pour down on my head while I took a shower that evening. The showers in Scaraba were outside, and I could still hear people passing by the nearby streets.

I reeked of salt and musk that day, and I was surprised at how clean the water was there. At least my skin didn't taste that salty anymore, I thought.

The small shack I was in was old and wooden, it looked like it could have fallen apart at any moment. I could hear the small door creak open, in and out, and for some reason, I expected someone to open it. That's why I had a towel around my waist, just in case.

I yawned, reaching the soap behind my ears as I scrubbed, when I felt something other than water tickle my toes. My eyes looked down, and while my feet were blurry, I saw something white by them, that wasn't there before. It looked to be…

I picked it up before it got too wet. It was a small piece of paper. I brought it to my nose, trying to make out the words…

_Jeff,_

_ When Ness and Paula fall asleep, I would like you to meet me at the edge of town where the trail to the desert begins. I will explain why by then._

_ Kato._

_…. Poo?_ Why did he keep calling himself Kato? Oh…

Well come to think of it, as my memory started to recall, he's been calling himself that for a while now. Did I call him Kato too?

I just couldn't seem to remember…

xxxxx

After a pretty decent meal that the hotel offered us because of our luxurious hotel, I worked steadily on my project. Ness sometimes would join me, poking and touching some of my props. I would laugh sometimes at some of the silly ways he looked at them.

"Are these your notes?" Ness asked me casually, holding up a small booklet. Well no… those were my dad's notes, I thought to myself.

"Ah, yeah," I replied. They're a little sloppy to understand though," I told him. He chuckled.

"If they're too sloppy to understand, then how can you understand them?" I scratched my head. How would I describe it without giving dad any cameos?

"Erm… it's just been a while, and it's not that I don't understand them in particular, it's just a little bit more advanced than your everyday newspaper," I replied. Ness finally frowned, before putting the book down.

"I don't read the newspaper though…" I frowned.

"No no, it's nothing like that," I told him. "It's just kind of for geeks like me, see? It's a good thing for you because… you aren't… a geek…" I gave up, sighing. Ness wasn't really sad, I concluded, he instead just kinda flashed me a silly grin.

"You are a geek," He replied. "But that's nothing to beat yourself up for either." Ehehehe…

"Anyways, I just want to make sure you get enough rest for tomorrow… we have a lot of walking ahead of us. Hopefully not too many distractions, but the sun could be worse than the sea," He told me. I shrugged. Couldn't be that bad, right? I didn't feel the heat too much today…

At the same time though, I grew up in a place that only snows, every day, every year… Oh well, I thought.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm heading to bed now," Ness told me, leaning in to give me a small hug. "Night, Jeff."

"Night." I returned, watching Ness crawl back into our small corner of blankets and tattered rags.

I tried to keep quiet then, wondering why Ka-Poo wasn't there. He had been absent from the hotel room since dinner, I thought. I asked Ness and Paula about it before, but they had just told me that he was probably out meditating. It was his thing.

But something else was bothering me… something I wasn't going to find out until later that night.

xxxx

I snuck out, as quietly as I could. All I brought with me was my knife, my gun, and my thin wallet. How I successfully got out was beyond me, but Ness and Paula didn't seem to catch my late expedition.

I looked around me outside. The night air was cool, but it wasn't enough to be cold. There were some people who were still awake at this hour; some people were out, then others who were at home with their lights out. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone for some reason, I was afraid I would run into a random complication if I did.

Outside of the city ranks… the note said. That's where I needed to go. This wasn't going to be good, I thought…

So I eventually did go out there, outside of the bounding brick walls. I looked out into the desert, and the pathway that led out there.

It was vaster than the Dusty Dunes desert, I thought. Nothing but sand and sky for miles and miles. _This was a wasteland…_

Now to look for him, I thought. And while I thought I was going to take forever to find him, I found him almost instantly. High up, sitting to himself on the brick wall, further down on the other side. Something stirred in my stomach slightly. Why did he want me to come out here?

Why was I stupid enough to actually come out here and find him? I was supposed to be resting for tomorrow, wasn't I?

"Hey…" I spoke, approaching him. However, instead of replying, he just sat there, eyes closed; posture perfectly still. He was probably meditating, like Paula said. I crossed my arms, waiting for him to respond. It was a good two to three minutes til I bugged him again, annoyed.

"Hey!" I yelled louder. This time, without budging any other muscles, his eyes did open slightly. But he didn't look at me; he only looked ahead of him.

"I didn't open my eyes because of you, if that's what you were curious about," He told me finally. "I've learned to block out any unnecessary noises out of my mind when I meditate." I grunted, cutting to the point.

"So… why'd you want me out here?" I asked. Poo's eyes didn't stray from the desert.

"Oh… many reasons," He replied. _Many… reasons?_

"Like what?" I asked, standing my ground slightly. Finally, his eyes darted down to mine.

"What's on you?" He asked. _What?_

"Why…"

"Just curious. I wouldn't want you unprepared," He replied. Uhh…

"I have my knife, my gun… my wallet… my glasses… my clothes…" Ok, were those details _really_ necessary?

"Oh good," He said, finally standing up on the wall. He put a hand on his hip and smiled at me.

"Then there's nothing to worry about," He spoke. I blinked at him.

I didn't have enough reaction time of course, with what came next.

He jumped down, knee in the air, as he looked as if he wanted to kick me in the face. I lunged to the side quickly before he landed on the ground gracefully; his foot barely grazing my glasses. Catching them from falling off my nose, I looked at him as he stood up.

"Wait, _what are you-"_ Again, he lunged at me, this time throwing a strong arm towards my neck in hopes to grab me. I dodged by kneeling down quickly and rolling away.

_"Hey, hey why are you attacking me?_ I don't want to fight you! Look, I'm sorry that I dropped in the ocean, I'm sorry you had to go and get me, _**I'm sorry!"**_ But still, his random swings and kicks kept coming, all in coordination and ease. _Coordination…_ I thought.

_"Ka-!"_ It was lucky that I was a quick dodger, but one of his last kicks swept the top of my head as I tumbled backwards awkwardly.

_"Spar me,"_ He finally said, bringing his fists to his face. Sp… _Spar_?

"Wh-" Again, Po- Kato took a quick step forward with his right leg, as he tried to throw another punch in my direction with his left fist. As I quickly moved my upper body to dodge the attack, my other side was not pleasantly surprised as a swift leg hit me in one of my knee caps. My leg felt a fast jab of pain as I fell to the ground, gasping slightly as I held my knee. _That was cheap,_ I thought…

Still, he kept going, I thought with my mind racing, as he tried to stomp down. I rolled to the side, away from his movement, as I tried to stand up, aware of my now slightly hurting knee. I couldn't run now. He put a hand on his hip.

"You dodge a lot," He told me. I frowned.

"And you like to kick knees a lot," I replied. He chuckled.

"If it's an opportunity, definitely. You wouldn't want to see me fight along with my PSI, would you?" He teased. I growled slightly.

"Why did you just do that?" I demanded. "You could have at least warned me that you wanted to spar…" _Now I would have to deal with a hurt knee all this coming week,_ I thought. He shrugged.

"If I would have told you my intentions, you would have reacted differently, and I wanted to see how you naturally reacted to an assault," He explained, taking a couple steps closer. I backed off slightly.

"Hmmm… I guess you're going to try that trick again right now, aren't you?" I asked.

"Precisely," He replied, as he dashed towards me again. This time, being more prepared, I took that moment to really look at what he was about to do.

Even so, _he was pretty damn fast!_

I could feel my body lunge towards the left as I saw him make his way toward the right of me, in attempt to kick my legs from behind. Without grace, I tried jumping over his movement, and with barely any success, I did succeed, but soon tumbled onto my back, as I saw Kato come into the kill.

I wasn't sure what I was thinking, when I saw his foot stomp down onto my chest, but rather than rolling to the side, I wanted to test my strength as I grabbed his foot with my hands.

_Hah... bad move, I thought._

If there was one thing that I lacked as a human being, it was brute strength. Sure, I had gained a bit of muscle since I started traveling, but what training did I actually have for those travels? My arms could barely keep his weight up, considering that he was probably made of nothing but muscle. But rather than finishing me off and stomping me down with all his might, he did it in a more reasonable motion, as he let his foot stand on my chest once he knew I couldn't keep him off. At least he didn't crush my lungs, I thought. I glared up at him. He smirked back down at me.

"Hmmm, see, this is what I was getting at," He told me, taking his foot off of me. I sat up, rubbing my wrist.

"It's only going to get harder," He told me. "That's why we're going to train this week." I frowned, standing up as I felt my knee again.

"I don't need to train," I replied, instantly feeling stupid as the words left my mouth. _Uh… yeah you do, Jeff._

"Oh, you don't need to train. _If you don't plan on making it through the desert_." I took in a deep breath.

"So what, are you going to train me, or something?" I asked him. He chuckled.

"Yeah, something on the lines of that. How's that knee?" He asked.

"Not very happy," I said. It was then that he patted me on the shoulder, as I felt that healing PSI travel through my body again. I moved my knee.

"Thanks… Poo," I replied, flashing him an awkward glance. Kato's smile paused for a moment. I paused myself.

_… What did I just call him?_

"… What did you just call me?" He asked in a high monotone voice. Erm… I chuckled nervously.

"I er… Kato, was it? I kinda… the ocean…" My heart sank at the look he was giving me. He really didn't like that name, I thought.

Now I remembered what name he liked going by. But what I've always wondered was, why?

It didn't matter then.

Because he was utterly pissed off looking then. I shivered.

"Don't. For your own good. _Call me by that name,"_ He stated, taking a chilling step towards me. I backed up. _Oh my god,_ he was serious…

"Look Po- I mean Kato… let's just…" Kato took a swift movement towards me, and I had barely any time to dodge a nasty fist to the chin, which he _did _catch, by the way. My jaw felt like rubber, as I continued my clumsy dodge out of his way. But while I was in mid-dodge, he was already in the middle of another tactic that I had no time to respond to whatsoever, and it was in this swift movement that he kicked my feet off the ground. Then a swift slap in the stomach. I felt the air punch out of my stomach, as I fell to the ground again. _What kind of training was this?_

Even so, he wanted to keep going. I felt my entire body tremble as I looked up at his dark eyes.

_**"Stop!"**_ I pleaded, feeling my body tremble in fear slightly. Our physical levels were completely opposite, I thought. At this rate, if we had continued, I didn't even want to know…

But then again, he was my ally, right?

"I know you've been itching to call me that for a long time now, _haven't you?"_ He grabbed the collar of my shirt, and with ease, picked me off of the ground.

_"It was an accident, I swear!" _I stated. Though his last statement… I was curious about. Now I knew. Was this his weakness?

"Kato… why do you hate your name so much?" I asked, shivering as I brought my hands to his in hopes to loosen his grip. I finally got to look pathetically into his discolored eyes again. I could see his left pupil adjust in size as he examined me.

"Is it really any of your concern?" I finally shot him a glare, feeling my infamous stubbornness kick into gear.

"I think it is my concern… you might have been very fast with those assaults, but you were also pretty sloppy at them," I replied. Was that really the case though?

"Don't you lecture _me_ on fighting when _you_ can barely keep my weight off of your own," He replied. Oh, _haha…_

"Maybe if I knew why you didn't want to be called your real name…" I wasn't sure how I was going to finish that sentence. "I don't understand why you can tell us. After all…" Kato raised an eyebrow at me.

"Aren't you doing the exact thing with your name as I was with that notebook?" Kato's eyes widened. He dropped me, as I made an uncomfortable landing at his feet. I watched him walk away from me, features stressed as he put a hand to his forehead.

"Well… isn't it?" I asked again. Again, he didn't respond. I stood up, dusting myself off before deciding to approach him.

"That seems to be your weakness, your real name," I told him. "And look… I didn't mean to call you by that name… it's just that time when I was thrown in the ocean, my mind got boggled from that-"

"So then where did you learn my name?" He asked sternly, turning around to glare at me. My look to him was slightly casual.

"Well, if you remember right, your king or emperor or whatever addressed you by that name. He called you Prince Poo. And…" My memories drifted back to a slightly distant past, one where it was only Ness and I, back when we were trying to be reunited with Paula.

"Talah Rama... that strange man we met in those monkey caves. He knew all of our names," I told him. Kato's expression changed completely. I wasn't sure whether he was shocked or confused.

"You met Talah Rama?" He finally asked after a moment of pause. I nodded. I watched as his shoulders dropped slightly.

"He's a good friend," He finally said. "To the Kingdom of Dalaam. He's been around since…" All I could do was look at him.

At least it seemed like he finally calmed down a bit.

"And I'm just going to guess that Paula already knew that you had complications with your name, so she never brought it up to you. Ness was either probably told by Paula or he also knew, and he was just too chicken to bring it up, possibly afraid of spoiling a new friendship. Me on the other hand… you knew I would anyways. I'm stubborn and sometimes act like a smart ass." Kato finally sighed.

"You're a _dumb_ smart ass," He corrected. "A physically weak, dumb, smart ass." I chuckled lightly. Yeah, I guess that was true.

"I was curious anyways, and even though, I still _swear_, that was an accident, I was going to ask you eventually anyways. I never really could trust you until I could know why."

"Well why would you want to know?" He asked me. I shrugged.

"I guess… maybe so I could understand you better, and maybe possibly grow a little closer to you. You know, like friends," I said. That was a strange way of putting that, I thought.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to tell you my secret, so I can be friends with you?" He asked. "What do I get?" I flashed him a slightly nervous look. I didn't really want him to lash out at me like that again.

"So, you hate your real name Poo. I hate my dad," I told him. Kato raised an eyebrow.

"Your dad?"

"My dad abandoned me, and stuck me in a boarding school for almost as long as I can remember," I told him. "And even now, after I've seen his face a couple of times, despite the very few things he's actually done for me, I don't know what to think of him anymore. So I'll just hate him until I know or find a reason not to hate him."

Kato finally did not look like he was in a spar mood anymore. And with the new dose of information I told him, he tried to soak it in. He looked a little perplexed while doing so.

"And I have two confirmed individuals that want to kill me," I added. "And I have no idea why, but I'd like to keep the number down to two please." Kato finally closed his eyes, covering them from mine.

"Alright alright…" He looked at me through his fingers. "You and your mouth. I'll tell you what. The background of my real name. I'll tell you," He said. My jaw dropped slightly. Was that all it took?"

"You will?" I asked. He paced a few steps before finally pausing. He turned to me, crossing his arms.

"Yes, I will. Six days from now," He told me. Oh…

"And not only that…" Kato walked closer to me, in attempt to get a better view of my eyes.

"You have to beat me on that final night," He added. I frowned. _Really?_

"You won't… use PSI on me, will you?" I asked. Kato snickered evilly.

"If I told you, I'd be spoiling the surprise," He replied. Oh great. _I'm so excited._

"Ok. And even if I lose. Why are you doing this?" I finally asked him. Kato turned around, and looked up into the night sky.

"We grow stronger if we work together. So we all need to be strong. Since you don't seem to hold up, either with lack of weapons or just physical strength, I thought it'd be good for you, since I've been training for my entire life. Partly, just for this journey in particular. And also," He smiled.

"I've never really trained with anyone before. It might be fun." I took note of his last statement especially.

"You're a good fighter, I admit it," I told him. "You're pretty strong if you can stop a car in its place," I tried not to snicker, but it sorta came out. "But you're right, it could be fun."

"Plus, you really need it," Kato added. Yeah yeah…

"I'm up to your challenge then," I told him. "Especially if I'm getting something out of it. And believe me; I _will _beat you on the final day." Kato laughed.

"At least you're competitive. That's something."

Kato, for a moment, looked at me again. Looking back, I wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking, but something occurred to me then that surprised me.

I didn't seem to have any compulsive reactions when I looked at him then. He looked almost serious, but he was calm at the same time.

"Let's go back. We have a long journey ahead of us." I could only grunt.

xxxxx

Day one.

The feeling of his fist meeting my jaw was still present as we moved out into the desert finally. It wasn't long before we couldn't see the city anymore, and all that was left before us was a sea of sand. It was as if the ocean was replaced with it overnight. And now I was starting to understand Ness's point.

We had a lot of sun block and white sheets on us luckily, but even then, it didn't help any of us from getting burned in the process. My glasses were starting to burn my skin as well, it wasn't fun.

The depressing thing about it was; none of us said a thing to each other. We weren't sure what we were to expect, well except, it was just as I expected. Nothing.

And at the end of the first day, we already had it. I was already missing the ocean, ironically…

_… ok, I take that back._

Our first night was to ourselves, under a few palm trees and a small oasis, one of the first stops along the path to the pyramids. All of us were quiet, as we ate our dinner. We weren't mad at each other; we were just already exhausted from the day. And dehydrated.

I cringed though, remembering what Kato told me last night. And as soon as Ness and Paula were to fall asleep, he would make me join him, in another night full of spar and foul play.

But before that time, after I washed up, I took the time to glance through my father's notes again. They were really kind of boring, I thought, and I was starting to doubt them. I was slightly startled by the feeling of Ness's sleepy head plopping against my shoulder as his mind lulled to sleep. I sighed, helping him lay back down onto the blankets softly for him. He's been slightly clingy lately, I thought. But then I figured; he was just making sure that I was ok. I looked down from Paula's passive face, to his, as he looked as peaceful as always, sprawled on his back.

Alright, I thought. It was time again. I looked out to the near desert, where Kato was sitting to himself, at the edge of the small body of water. I got up to meet him there.

"Ready?" He asked me. I nodded, feeling a small lump of fear deep in my chest. We had moved out into the distance, far enough to where they couldn't hear us, but not far enough to where they weren't out of our sights. And when we finally started our practice spar, it played out exactly like I thought it would.

I fell a lot, trying the same methods as the previous night. Kato, after finding a way to throw me on the ground for the fifth time, stopped me, and showed me a couple techniques.

"Aikido," He said. Aikido?

"Elaborate for me," I replied. Kato sighed.

"Punch me," He said.

"Punch you?"

"Punch me." Ok, I thought. So I punched him. Oh wait, no I didn't.

As I watched my failed punch pass Kato's dodge, Kato grabbed my arm around my elbow area, and somehow managed to twist my body around his, throwing me off balance, and pretty damn far, probably because of his PSI.

I tumbled in the dirt, feeling my glasses fly right off of my face. I tasted sand as it filled my gums. Gross.

Kato slapped his hands together as he made his way back over to me.

"Using an enemy's flow is very good for self defense. If you can redirect their blows away from you, you won't have to dodge their attacks as much," He said. "Here, try with me." I got up, dusting myself off as I was handed my glasses. Pausing after my eyesight returned to me, I wasn't sure exactly what I was supposed to do.

"Just try doing what I did," He said, showing me another demonstration, slowly, using my body as an example of the technique.

"Alright…" I said. Kato, finally threw a punch; not as fast as he normally would. He was going easy on me, the bastard! But even so, learning like a copy cat, I tried exactly what he easily had done with me…

I completed at least a third of the movement, pausing as I tried swinging his body around me. The thing was, his body didn't budge at all, and it was all the more awkward as he looked at me, almost pathetically as I struggled to overthrow his weight. I gritted my teeth. He soon shot in another one, feeling myself fumble; I tried the same kind of thing, but with little success. Kato sighed at my utter failure.

"Alright, I guess it would help if you had a little more upper strength," he told me. I frowned.

So the rest of the night was spent just building muscle. At the end of the session, my legs couldn't even support themselves anymore as we walked back to camp.

"I suggest drinking that protein shake, you'll need it," he told me. "See you in the morning," he whispered to me before lying down. I plopped down, utterly exhausted. The worst thing was, for some reason, I couldn't sleep.

So for the remainder of the night, I worked on trying to find a solution to that damn bazooka. I ended up with about four hours of sleep.

Day two.

Today was hotter than before, of course. The journey was always going to get hotter and hotter. Why we didn't travel during the night was beyond me, I thought bitterly to myself.

There was one point of a small ambush with strange desert inhabitants, though they were pretty easily defeated. Paula had a minor burn from another small UFO, something I hadn't seen since the other desert. I wondered why I had suddenly grown used to these, wouldn't I, or shouldn't I be afraid of these types of things too?

Maybe we were just getting stronger.

There were times when we thought Mr. Ziggy was either dead or just bluntly exhausted, even if he didn't walk at all. He wouldn't sneeze or anything. Paula sacrificed her wet towel to comfort him, and to tease all of us, Paula put a small dose of PSI Freeze on herself, enough to cool herself down.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Kato replied, doing the same thing onto himself. Ness and I gawked at the two of them.

"H-hey, that's not fair!" Ness protested. Paula looked willing to share some of her powers, but Kato was another story.

"Hey _Jeff,_ need to cool down your muscles a bit?" He asked me. I wasn't sure whether to respond or just ignore him.

"Well…" He extended a hand out to help out, but instead applied it right back onto himself. He shrugged, teasing me.

"Hand slipped," He responded. I raised an eyebrow. It was too hot for me to get mad, I instantly thought.

"For someone who hates their own real name, you really like to put your hands all over yourself," I responded simply.

Let's just say that he did not like that.

_"Why you little-"_

"What's wrong, _Pookey,_ did the PSI burn you the wrong way?" I asked tauntingly, dodging a small assault of his. Paula responded to this quickly.

"Hey! _Knock it off,_ both of you!" Paula instantly demanded. Ness kinda just stood there, and let Paula take charge.

_**"He started it,"**_ We both countered. Paula curled her hands into fists as she bit her lip as we bickered still.

_Woooosh!_

We were blasted with a freezing wind. The both of us stood stock still, staring back at her in awe. When was the last time I saw her like this…?

"_If you two don't knock it off,_ we'll never get through this desert. _Don't make me demand you two to hug and make up,"_ She said. _Oh god,_ not this…

"What _kind _of hug, sentimental or _strangling?"_ Kato asked. I darted him a negative glare.

"Don't push the subject," I instantly muttered. "She'll make us embrace. _Like lovers."_

I quietly smiled at my own victory, as that last remark shut him up completely, for the rest of the day.

So, I stood by Ness the rest of the way, whom was a little quiet, but I assured him that things would be ok. Ness flashed me an awkward smile.

That night, when Ness and Paula rested, Kato and I had our toughest quarrels yet. Towards the end, I secretly called it a draw. Because things kind of got ugly between us.

Let's just say that, we continued our bickering from before, except more physically, and it seemed as if we were really determined to see each other fall.

I felt as if my bones were going to break. Surprisingly, Kato kind of looked a little tuckered out himself and there was a point in time where we just stood our distance from each other, panted and exhausted.

We stared at each other for the longest time. I was trying to figure out, _just exactly was his weakness in fighting?_

"I thought so," I heard a familiar voice say. The both of us looked over.

Ness, dressed in his pajamas crossed his arms and tapped his barefoot against the sand.

_"What is this?" _He demanded angrily at the both of us. I mentally punched myself. Now the boy I had spent so much effort into gaining respect from is now mad at me _again._ _Son of a…_ To my surprise however, Kato immediately covered.

"We're training," Kato smiled contently to him. "Would you like to train with us?" He asked. Ness glanced between us, giving me a strange look I couldn't really comprehend.

"Well I do kind of feel sad that I haven't joined in the fun, but…" Ness yawned. "I'm really tired. Just don't _fight_… alright?" He asked, slight insecurity in his voice. _So much for a leader,_ I thought. He needed more assertiveness…

I sounded like Kato there.

"Ness…"

"I understand. Besides, it's _Jeff_ who really needs this," He said. I shot him a fuming glare.

"Hey, I'm not _that_ useless!" I spoke irately. Ness sighed.

"Whatever you two. Just don't be too loud; Paula and I are trying to sleep. And don't get too wiped out, we still have a long ways to go," He said before making his way back to camp. I looked back at him as we walked away, shoulders slouched slightly.

I felt slight shame for some reason. And it was then that Kato caught me completely off guard.

He had somehow swung my body into the air, and with a thud, I landed on my back. _Oh my god;_ did that hurt, I instantly thought, hissing as I could only just stare up at the sky, glasses somehow still plastered on my face. I saw Kato's form over my body.

"I win," he simply stated. I beat myself up mentally. _Damn you Ness,_ you pretty distraction…

"Alright, let's finish the night off with some more body building," he told me. I groaned. _It wasn't over?_

By the time we made it back to camp, when everyone else was asleep, I was literally shaking, as I tried fumbling with my devices. And my father's notes.

_I will get this damn thing fixed one way or the other, _I thought to myself bitterly. _Even if it meant deciphering his scientific language, and killing myself over it…_

Day three.

The third day wasn't any better either. The days seemed as if they were replaying themselves. Mr. Ziggy kept having sunstroke issues, Kato and I still bickered from time to time. Then there were other times when we were just laughing and joking amongst all of ourselves. I was happier to see that Ness was in a better mood…

…until Paula suddenly collapsed in front of us.

_**"Paula!"**_ Ness exclaimed, rushing to her side as we followed. The three of us hovered above her, Ness holding her in his lap as she slightly opened her eyes weakly. She grumbled.

_"It's… so hot…"_ she mumbled. "I'm sorry…. I'll get up soon." Ness touched his forehead to hers as he seemed to use a healing spell on her. While it seemed to help, she still looked completely weak.

"Nah, I'll carry you the rest of the way Paula," Ness assured to her, as they got up. Ness wrapped her up in a white blanket, as he put her on his back.

"Thank you…" She muttered. I offered to carry Paula's bag as well as Ness's back pack.

It got to the point where, eventually, even when we did see a small village ahead that Paula was too much weight for Ness to carry in this heat. So Kato walked over to him.

"I'll carry her for the rest of the way," Kato offered. Ness looked at him, eyes starting to droop slightly.

"Oh-okay," He replied, handing her to him as she settled on his back. Ness touched his forehead with his hand, as he must have refreshed himself somehow. _I wish I had PSI damn it…_

But to my surprise, Ness's hand took me by surprise as he placed it on my forehead. And my sudden sunstroke was cured as well. I looked at him, as he smiled back sweetly.

"Thanks…"

When we made it into the village that night, they were nice enough to welcome us in. They had everything we needed, food, supplies, water, shelter… thank goodness, I thought to myself. We had decided to spend the remainder of the day then and spend the night.

Of course, I knew what was going to happen that night. I always cringed at the thought of it.

Training was as vigorous as usual, this time we focused mainly on agility. I admitted though, I had a feeling that my strength was starting to improve…

_… Or not,_ as I felt myself tumble at his feet again after he managed to grab me by the ankle and swing me upside down. I could feel my ankle snap as a slight whiplash affected my neck. I shivered when I was at his feet. _The fucker was damned to kill me one of these days,_ I angrily thought. At least there was less talk this time and more fight.

When we got back to the small shed that the village offered us, Ness was still half awake, tending to Paula's previous burn from the previous day, and make sure that she was in good enough condition to travel tomorrow. Our small shack was lit by candle light.

"The village offered us a ride to the next stop," Ness told us. Kato grunted, sitting down in his corner of the small wooden room.

"Good. We don't want anyone else getting weak from the sun," He said. I frowned, feeling myself sink with ease onto my own pile of blankets.

"Why don't we travel during the night anyways?" I asked suddenly. "I mean, wouldn't it make sense?" Ness shrugged.

"Something to do with how this area operates, I guess. At least we leave before sunrise, when the air is the coolest," He spoke. I guess that was true…

"Well, no time to waste, let's rest for tomorrow," Kato spoke, lying down on the sheets.

"Alright. Night you guys," Ness spoke as he curled up next to Paula.

And of course I stayed awake again all until I felt my eyes give way.

Day four.

This was probably our luckiest day of our travels, I thought to myself. There was no walking that day, as we all rode in the back of a carriage truck as we made our way closer to the pyramids. Paula still was tired, as she was curled up next to Ness. Kato laid his back against the truck boundary across from them as I sorta sat in the middle of them, my back against the back of the front portion of the truck. There was a nice shade above our heads, so no sun stroke today! I spent the majority of the ride looking through my father's notes.

"What's that?" Kato asked curiously. Don't think this is another diary, I thought.

"Some notes my father left behind for me," I asked. "He either left them on purpose or he accidentally left them. I'd like to think he left them on purpose though…"

"What are they about?" Uhh…

"Just… science," I replied. "Just some personal science notes that he's written, I'm guessing when he was building the sky runner."

"The same sky runner we crashed?" Ness asked. _Thanks for reminding me._

"Yeah," I said.

"I'm sure he could build another one. Is that what you want to do?"

"Oh no, not really. He has notes for other things too… other generic things. I'm just trying to find out if there's anything that's of use…" The thing was there had to have been. If he was known for inventing revolutionary things with just scraps of metal… there had to be something in here revealing how he did those things.

It really wasn't a matter of how to _construct_ the bazooka now, but rather, how to get it to _work _again. If only I knew how and what it ran off of…

_The answer had to have been in these notes somewhere…_

"Well, if there's anyone that can figure them out, it's you," Ness smiled. I paused, eventually smiling back, rubbing the back of my neck. Awww…

"Thanks Ness… I just hope you're right."

That night was spent again in the next small fort, or village. If we had walked there by foot, it might have taken us more than a day. Just how far were these pyramids anyways?

When late night hit, and we were all resting again, I went outside of our small room to track down Kato again. And expecting him to be in some sort of open space, I didn't expect him to be sitting right on top of our roof.

"Up here," Kato spoke. I grunted, climbing up with him.

"Tonight's training will be different," He told me. "Meditating can really help your focus a lot," He told me. Meditating… the last time I somewhat did that was with…

I grunted. Kato crossed his legs as he closed his eyes.

"Try just focusing on breathing," He said. "The rest will soon follow." O…kay.

Meditating with Kato for me at least… wasn't quite what I expected. I wasn't really the meditating type, I thought. It was hard for me to forget everything I had been going though. It only seemed to work when I was with Ness that one time, I thought. When it was just the two of us…

I blushed slightly.

"You aren't there yet, are you?" He asked. I flashed him an awkward side glance.

"Not really… it's kinda hard for me," I told him. He breathed out.

"Alright then. I guess it's not that important," He said. "But just try to clear your mind tonight; it'll do you some good. Do whatever helps you in doing that. For me, it's meditating," He told me. Well ok, I thought. If you put it in that case…

I lied on my back as I let my eyes wander into the sky as Kato did what he did. And tried my best to forget a lot of things.

I had little success as we decided to go back inside. Then when I focused on the bazooka again, that was when it actually worked.

Day five.

Back into the scorching desert, I thought. Back to sunstrokes, back to…

The bazooka was finally outweighing my back, as I felt my knees go weak. I was about to take a nasty tumble to the ground, Kato broke my fall before he touched my forehead and healed me. I looked up to him weakly. Kato was, since the third day, starting to respect me more, I thought.

"Thanks," I told him, adjusting my things on my back before we continued.

The whole way through, all I thought about was how to defeat Kato in tomorrow's training session. It was hard to believe we were already coming up to the sixth day, and soon the pyramids.

The nice thing was that, I think I finally understood what our eyes could do. Ness could see the bad or evil things in people. Paula could see the good. I could see the weaknesses. And Kato could see their strengths. So in order for me to defeat Kato, I thought, I had to find his weakness, right?

At the same time, he sought out my strengths, and defeated me that way. What were my strengths? My ability to find weaknesses? Well that was the problem… I wasn't quite sure what his was yet.

It was almost like thinking in reverse, and it confused me quite a bit. What if I tried observing him like he observed me? What if there was a flaw in his methods that I was overlooking?

What if I mirrored his methods, and found a weakness through that? It might have been stupid enough to work, I thought. Though I wasn't sure how…

My brain hurt just by thinking about it.

We settled for the night by the smallest oasis yet. All there really was were a couple of trees, some bushes and barely a puddle of water. How this puddle didn't dry out, was beyond me. We were just lucky it existed in the first place.

And when Kato and I spared for the fifth time…

"You only have this last night to figure out your methods of defeating me for tomorrow. If you want your answers that is," Kato responded. I frowned.

"Oh, I'll figure you out alright," I replied. Kato smiled at me, and then the spar started.

The way he fought was swift. Whatever I did, he would find a way around it, whether it was catching me off guard or finding the opportunity to grab me and throw me off guard. It mostly worked. Most of the time.

It was really hard to tell what to do. If I couldn't dodge him anymore, how was I supposed to attack him…?

…Unless…

I was at least able to dodge with much more grace whenever he tried to go in for the kill. Though when he tried to redirect my attacks…

I threw a punch, or so, that's what I made him believe. And as I tried missing his grip onto my wrist, I made myself flip myself around, almost like I was doing a cart wheel. It probably wasn't a good idea, but when I tried to kick up dirt into his eyes, he became distracted.

But not distracted enough as he grabbed my ankles and flipped me on my back again. He slapped his hands together in ease, as he tried to wipe sand out of his eyes. The chilling realization hit me then.

He still hasn't even used his PSI, I thought. Kato smiled.

"Nice try," He told me. "But it's going to take more than just a few tricks up your sleeve to confuse me." I chuckled negatively.

"Well, it's late. Let's call it a night."

It was when I was back on my bazooka that my mind went slightly berserk. _What was going to work against him?_

Day six.

We had it.

All of us.

_"When will we get there…"_ Ness spoke with the little strength he had. _"This is torture…"_

When we had first started our journey again that early morning, we were still considered to be in the middle of nowhere. And by mid day, apparently I had started to spot mirages.

"Hey… isn't that them?" I asked pointing towards the distance. "The pyramids…" The rest of them were silent, all before Kato slapped my forehead lightly and healed my apparent sunstroke.

The pyramids disappeared. Oh…

The bazooka was starting to burn my back, I thought, even if it was being covered by a light colored sheet, it still burned to some degree.

Paula ended up leaning on Ness a lot of the rest of the way since then. I looked up, looked up at the evil sun above us. Taunting us with its everlasting warmth. I could feel my pupils go ablaze as I looked away. Ouch.

It wasn't until we reached our last oasis that we started to see signs of our destination.

A sign, etched in stone, in hieroglyphs. And a few more down the line. And when you tried to see, and I meant, really see… you could see them.

It took a few hours for us to actually tell that they were really out there though, enough to wipe the heat out of our systems.

After I changed into some lighter, dryer clothes, I splashed my face with water as I sat next to the oasis spring, letting my hands slide slowly down my face, which in fact, felt like it was going to melt right off. At least we were starting to see signs of sun set now, and it was then that I could see the pyramid's form much clearer, even if it was hidden behind a thick heat wave.

Ness had somehow snuck besides me, placing his hat onto my head. I touched the rim of his hat before glancing over him as he splashed his face with water. He let out a big sigh.

"Well… at least we've semi-made it. It's only a few miles away now," Ness spoke.

"You sound exhausted," I told him. He brought his knees up to his chest, as he rolled up his jeans.

"You too," He said. "I'm pretty sure everyone is about to implode from this heat," He said, looking at me again. "At least you got a nice tan!" He joked. _Hahaha._

"I was probably as white as snow before, I know," I replied. Ness rested his chin on his knees, as he looked ahead.

"What do you think will happen?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"In the pyramid… what do you think will happen? Where will we end up after it? I don't… it could be the heat, but I don't sense any of my sanctuaries around here at all," He told me. Oh…

"This is where Paula suggests we head, right?" I asked. Ness grunted.

"I'm sure this is where we should go, but I'm not sure why yet. Maybe it's because it leads somewhere. Maybe it goes to an area that hasn't really been explored yet. Let alone, but children," He added.

"Well… you never know," I told him. "Maybe it holds a secret, something we have yet to find out. I guess we will tomorrow," I told him. Ness hummed.

"I'm just trying to think back at what Kato told us back in Summers," He said. "Remember when we went to the museum? He said that the pyramid was the key and we'd find the hawk eye. Whatever that is," He spoke. Hmm… A fifth eye, I thought. I wonder what it would do.

"Then it must be important it he claims it's a key," I told him. "At least we're getting somewhere. And at least he's able to somehow ready hieroglyphs." Why was that, I thought?

"Yeah… guess you're right," Ness replied stretching out. "I'm starving. Apparently Paula's cooking something for us with that frying pan she's barely touched!" I chuckled.

"She's cooking?"

"Along with Kato apparently," He replied. "I'm gonna go bug them," He said before getting up.

"Hey Ness." Ness turned around, raising an eyebrow at me. The way he looked at me was slightly awkward, as if there was something else on his mind too. I flashed him a lazy smile.

"Like I said, everything will be alright." Ness could only smile with one corner of his eye before looking slightly flustered before we went back to Paula and Kato. I sighed then, turning back to the water as I watched my reflection. I saw what looked to be a hawk, flying above me.

Tonight was the night, I thought. I had to know more about him, and the only way I could was to defeat him. It made me nervous, I wondered if I could even do it. Soon, thoughts also trailed to Pokey, and the fact that we were barely tailing him.

"I can't believe he's ahead of us still," I thought out loud bitterly. But we all thought that. What was the bastard up to this time? I let my thoughts trail to possibilities beyond this night. What kinds of new and old challenges were we going to face? It almost made my stomach turn, thinking back on what has happened to us so far.

Then I thought back to Kato, and how I was going to beat him_. I was going to beat him,_ I thought. There was no way I could let him win. But how…

If he was going to use PSI, it was all over, I thought. How would I top that? With my zap gun that dad had made for me? With my knife? _With my broken bazooka?_

Wait… the _broken bazooka,_ I thought. Strange thoughts popped into my mind once I glanced at the thing. The thing was just a huge hunk of metal and mechanics, I thought. He had PSI, skill and strength, while I had a big hunk of metal, barely enough arsenals and my mind. When the math built up in my head, it was useless. He still outnumbered me.

It would be kinda cruel if I used my knife against him, I thought. _That's just mean…_ Then yet… if he were to use PSI… that was cruel as well.

_No,_ I thought. If he was going to play unfair, I had to play unfair back. To him, it must have been easy, he's so strong, trained all of his life and he could use PSI. And as long as he knew how I fought, he was going to beat me. No… I had to change my way of thinking. If our eyes clashed, it would be harder for him to read me, but now that he's used to my fighting style, I had to change it up. I had to trick him somehow…

That was my specialty, I thought. And I had to use it.

xxxx

With what decent amount of food we still had, Paula and Poo actually cooked something that was tasty. And after our meal, it was just a matter of waiting. Waiting for the final spar. I had to plan out my strategy then and there. I could tell for some reason, how curious Kato was then. It was slightly nerve racking, looking over only to find him looking back, just as curiously. I slapped myself mentally. Urgh…

And as the sun fell, my anxiety only rose, as I finally started to gather what I needed. Then sooner or later, it was finally time.

I bit my lip as I went out to the desert, to find Kato waiting for me. Kato looked at me, more like stared at me, eyes not straying as he crossed his arms. Was he uncomfortable too?

"Well…" Kato spoke. He was nervous… maybe it was because of the possibility of me actually beating him. And what he promised six days prior. He seemed to examine me, because of my slightly different appearance.

There was one change that only mattered, just one important change, as I adjusted the strap of the bazooka on my back. I let my gaze try to pierce through his.

Our eyes clashed. We were a blaze as Kato made the first move.

And just as I expected, his PSI was going to aid him this time.

Somehow, with his teleporting abilities, he dashed right behind me swiftly, I had to take a double take before he tried to grab me by my right shoulder. I countered by lowering my upper body, as his elbow clashed against hard metal on my back. I swung my knife at him, not trying to aim to cut him, but he withdrew himself, taking a gigantic leap backwards. We stood our ground again. This wasn't going to be easy, I thought.

Next, he teleported again, but it took me a little bit before I realized where.

A flash of blue light above me, I thought. My eyes widened as I realized he was above me, launching an attack towards me as I jumped to the side. My right foot felt cold, I bitterly thought, but I brushed the thought aside. It wasn't much longer when he was in my face again, and I had to use what I learned from him, to catch him off balance. But this time, even though my strength wasn't as strong as his, I used an extra method, as I caught his wrist. When he went to grab with his other arm, I was able to swing my bazooka around my body, enough for his grip to loosen off of me, and soon we were both holding the hunk of metal. I swung the bazooka in a circular fashion, in hopes to swing him around with it. It worked, slightly, but he soon gained his control again, as he used another PSI attack, as I felt my right arm freeze up. I winced. It wasn't as bad as it should have been…

_…but it was,_ I thought to myself, happily. I yelped, as I dropped to the ground in defeat.

_"Argh!"_ I growled to myself, grasping my arm in pain. It hurt so bad, I kept telling myself, enough for the message to show onto my features. Kato finally stopped, as he realized that I was down, quickly teleporting to my side. I weakly looked up to him, as I shook my sore frozen arm in hopes to heat it up. I exhaled. He approached me, muttering to himself moreso.

"I win," he stated.

_"You win…"_ I said, letting my eyebrows fill with sorrow and hopelessness. "My arm is frozen, I can't move it…" Kato looked tentative. Then he smirked.

"It'll take time for you to reach my level," He told me. "But it looks like you lost the bet." I was taken aback, or so it appeared, as Kato extended an arm out to help me up.

"Here," He spoke. "Let's finish up tonight with some more body building." I looked up to him. His eyes were calm, relieved, as he looked at my weak state.

_Bingo._

The level of surprise was astounding to me, as I accepted his hand with all of my might, in an attempt to swing his entire body to my level. I used my left leg to kick back one of his knees, locking them from escape, as he took a nasty tumble onto the ground behind me. And before he had time to react, I flipped over and on top of him, legs around his torso, left hand pinning him down by holding my knife to his neck.

The other arm, holding a heavy, broken bazooka over my shoulder, aimed right towards his face. We paused, my vicious glare meeting his as I panted, heart racing as the two of us looked at each other.

It was the longest pause we had ever had. And it took me forever to finally see the bastard flash me a crooked grin, a flash of defeat gleaming off of his features.

"My bad," He replied. "Looks like you win this time." Even so, I held my guard up, expecting him to have one more trick up his sleeve.

But when my mind registered that it was finally over, I dropped the bazooka, feeling my jello-like legs lift me up off of him again. Kato soon followed, all the while holding out a hand.

"That was impressive," Kato said. "Should have known you would have played a dirty trick like that if you knew I was going to use PSI," He said. I looked at his hand before finally accepting it. I looked bashful, I was certain.

"Ahaha… I wasn't sure of any other way-" Kato managed to twirl my arm around, as my body flung back down to the dirt, back landing down as I looked up to him. Kato laughed at my sudden surprise. I shook slightly.

"Oh no, don't tell me…" I spoke again mentally slapping myself.

"Nah… you still win. That was just my way of communicating my gratitude," he said smiling. _Right…_ I hissed, standing up. That was mean, I thought…

"Well…" He started. "I guess I should keep my promise." I looked at him.

The way he said it. He didn't sound ashamed, but rather accepted the fact that he had to then. It was in this sense of him accepting this that I almost kind of respected him at that moment. Though I didn't know what to tell him in that moment. We both sat near the oasis, but slightly apart from Ness and Paula so they could still sleep.

"So… your name," I asked. Kato closed his eyes, breathing in.

"Poo…" He didn't seem happy with the name escaping his lips. "Was the name of a warrior."

"Ok…"

"A great, and terrible warrior," He continued. "He…" I examined him, as he seemed to struggle with the topic as we sat across from each other on the dirt.

"He murdered hundreds and hundreds of innocent people," He continued. I let the last statement settle into my skin slightly.

"You…?" Kato sighed, letting his hands cup his chin.

"No… I didn't murder those people," He simply put it. "But the one I'm royally named after did," He looked over to me. "It's said in my ancient lineage that anyone given this name will do something great." I paused. "Something so great… it could change society or the world forever."

Oh… I get it, I finally thought. He's too stressed to have this name. So he named himself something else… to escape that?

"Until one is dubbed into the royalty line in my kingdom, we don't know our royal names. I… I wasn't supposed to be prince originally," He continued. "My brother was supposed to be prince and future king, not me. _But then…"_ Kato's voice shook out of anger. I felt slightly timid from this.

"He was killed," He continued. "Lado… the brother I always looked up to. He was killed. _By a metallic man…"_

My heart stopped completely as my eyes slowly widened at his last statement.

_No… no, it couldn't be…_ I could only imagine what was going through his mind right then. Those horrific memories… the pain of losing the one you loved so much being ripped away from your very eyes.

"I was too late," He continued. "The metallic man escaped. And all there was left was my dying brother…"

A tear escaped from Kato's eye.

"K… Kato…" My voice shook.

"He may or may not have had the same name if he went on or not, but either way…" He took in a deep, slow breath. "Because of that horrific incident, I was immediately put into his spot, and immediately, I had to start training. It was a hard and vigorous road, you know? The Star Master… one of our oldest men, was the one that taught me how to channel the earth's PSI. And it was at the beginning of that road that I was dubbed the royal name Prince Poo…"

"May I… ask one question?" I asked him timidly. Kato looked over to me, his eyes tired and weak. I swallowed.

"I… I was wondering. Is Kato your…"

"That was my birth name yes. Kato. It was always Kato. Kato and Lado. I was always happy when I was with my brother you know?" He continued. Images of my mom flashed to me.

"Lado… he was the greatest fighter of his- our time. Strong, noble, and a pure heart. We would spend our evenings together, after he was done with whatever work he had to do beforehand. He taught me meditation, and he taught me the stars, and the world. And he taught me how a true warrior should behave. He was my brother… and my best friend."

I could only be silent. That was all I could do then.

"Jeff…" He continued. "I… I wanted to teach you how to fight like my brother taught me. Not how my Star Master, or anyone else taught me. Everything I taught you, I learned from him."

"Thank you…" I told him. "I understand now why… why you hate that name," I continued. Because of a similar incident I had. Kato seemed to be ears then, as he looked at me as in to continue.

"My mother. She was killed by something of your description. Back when I was too young to do a thing…" Kato could only watch as my own anger started to spill out.

"Like you… I loved her. I looked up to her. Learned from her. Held her… she was my best friend too.."

"I'm sorry…" Kato responded truthfully.

"But…" I bottled it up again slightly, taking in a deep breath. "Don't… don't hate me for saying this. But I think, the way you handled your name around us before… it was like running away from your problems and shutting them aside. But see… you taught me how to deal with some of those problems these past few nights," I continued. "I've always been physically weak… and well, even though I'll never be as strong as let's say you, I think you've helped me build at least some confidence and strength. Now I feel like I can conquer the world, even if just this night." Kato didn't seem to want to lash out at me, thank goodness, but the look he gave me was as cold as ice.

"No. You're right, Jeff. But then again…" Kato paused, looking like he was in serious thought.

"That thing. The metallic man, I mean. Now that we both know that he wasn't just a coincidence, and that we're positive that both of our stories share a link and we're here right now, we now know for sure that eventually, we'll be facing him, or them again," He finally said. My heart sank at that final statement.

_So it finally came down to it, _I thought. It was set in stone. That strange figure is inevitably a part of what's going on right now. I could feel my anger and fear seep out of me by then.

"And like you said, we can't bottle that up anymore now, knowing that we will see them again sometime soon."

I could barely hear him then. All I could think of right then was my past with my mother, my father, and the metallic man.

With that thought in my mind, I couldn't get any real rest that night. But it was, at the same time. Knowing in comfort that, I wasn't the only one.

I cried to myself slightly, before my tears lulled me to the shortest sleep I would have ever gotten that journey.

xxxx

It took us a good hour or so before we finally reached the pyramid. All of us were exhausted by then, as we looked up at the big, triangular structure in the middle of the desert. Both Kato and I felt the same then. We were both tired, stressed and at the same time, wiser than we were before. But terrified.

I had told him the previous night, out of respect, that I would continue to call him Kato. He seemed happy about that. That was his real name after all, I thought, right? I couldn't forget the look of relief he had when I had told him that.

I think overall, he thanked me for defeating him.

And as Kato and Ness figured out the puzzle to enter the pyramids, all of us held hands as we entered with bravery.

… Only to find the place to be completely deserted and trashed. Our eyes widened, as we walked through the pyramid's caverns.

"Wh-what happened here?" Ness asked, as we walked through winding stair cases, Paula using her PSI fire to light the way.

"Pokey…" I spoke, as we entered another room. Yes, I thought. Pokey's definitely been here. I could smell his stench everywhere…

"No way…" Everything that could have been here for us, wasn't, as someone had come through here before, and cleared everything out. All of its challenges. All of its messages… everything.

"Pokey's trying to stop us," Kato said, as we made it into a room with a casket, moved over, as it revealed a hole. "He's been trying to stop us from knowing what the pyramid is trying to tell us." Ness's growl was furious. We all looked down the pit.

"This is the only way now," Kato explained. As we stood around that hole however, we felt some sort of energy. A presence.

"Something is definitely here though…" Kato explained. "I think Pokey's lead ended here, there's some force here, but it seems to be luring us in."

"Is it safe?" Ness asked. Paula looked like she was in deep thought for a moment.

"No, we have to go down, I know it," she explained. And that was that, I thought. All of us looked at each other before we descended down the hole.

When we got down there however, the whole room was still intact. Hieroglyphs covered the walls, as there was a stand before us. The stand looked to be holding a treasure. The treasure looked to be in the shape of an eye, made of gold and brass. Kato looked around us, as I did as well.

Each wall had a pair of eyes. All of them looking down upon us.

"So it's true," Kato spoke. All of us turned to him as he turned to us.

"This room was built, just for this moment that we are in right now. This room explains our purpose, and everything we have to keep true with in order to prevail."

I let my eyes wander the walls again.

A pair to seek out dark sins and thoughts.

A pair to seek the good.

A pair that spotted every weakness.

A pair that sought their strengths.

And the eye in the center that would aid us though our journey.

The hawk's eye.


	28. Dungeon Man

_A/N: Thank you, YaoiGirly, Nessie-DoMiSol, Mihakuu, redtheyoshi, Revu, Red, TomBoy247, Treehugger19, and leopardtail's stoneclan for the reviews! : ) Leopardtail, your timing on your review was tight on to be mentioned on this chapter, and thank you for all you've said! : )_

_ Sorry for the temporary wait, it was slower to write this one at times. At other times, I felt like I was just filling the gaps, avoiding transitions and skipping to the next parts. Then there were those parts where I felt like I was really rambling, and the rambling just dug deeper and deeper. I was feeling kind of depressed, and I don't really know when I'll fully get out of it, it's been about over a week now, but I admit, I'm feeling much better once I finished this tonight. This is one of those chapters where honestly, the writing really reflected on how I was feeling throughout the thing. At first I felt bored to write it, then my slight depression made it deeper, and now that I'm happier… well yeah, you get it. _

_ I want to get this done this week before the upcoming weekend, because I'm heading to the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco with my lovely gal pals. I'm so excited (we so excited!) Ok, I'm never making that reference ever again, ok? Ok. : )_

Anyways, sorry again for the… lack of JeffNess in this chapter, just heads up. I just can't seem to fit it in without any purpose you know? Don't worry though, some JeffNess to come in the near future, but for now I'm indulging into things I've been itching to write about for months.

Another thing, (sorry for dragging this note out) I've been getting asked a lot about the potential JeffNess lemon in this fanfic. All I can say is that… could happen. Maybe. : D

Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to Revu, who I've been talking to lately, you've been a lot of help just story wise and emotionally, and I love talking to you, and just thanks! You are an awesome friend. : ) Go read his new fanfic, Exposed to Madness! (that's an order lol)

Hope there isn't too many errors. Please enjoy!

XxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_"The Apple of Enlightenment pictured this too... four individuals that have the eyes to recognize this pure evil..."_

A pair that saw sin, a pair that saw good, a pair that saw weakness and a pair that saw strength. It was all written here, etched in stone, for hundreds of years.

Hundreds of years in which the earth knew, or had some sort of knowledge of the earth's fate. Either the earth, or a civilization… or someone.

This could only mean one thing, I thought. And it brought me much terror as the thought crossed my mind as clear as day.

_This was planned all along, years into the past. And it was just now that these plans were starting to take effect. _ I was just amazed… bewildered that somehow, I was part of this mural. Or at least, my eyes were. Which were my mother's eyes originally…

Was there a connection?

"I think we're almost out of this place finally," Ness mentioned, pointing ahead to a doorway. It wasn't long before we timidly claimed the hawk's eye, currently in Ness's hands. Kato led the way out for some strange reason.

"We'll soon know what'll be to come then," Kato replied, looking over all of us.

And soon enough, we walked through the entry way, leading to a small passageway to the left wall, leading out of the pyramid…

All of us paused as we got outside. I wasn't sure if it was in pure shock, disgust, or both.

Sun.

Bland landscape.

_Nothing._

Ness began to walk out in front of us. Looking. Really looking. As if he was trying to desperately find something. He soon held up the hawk's eye to his own.

There was no response, as his shoulders slouched in disappointment.

"What is this…" He spoke lowly. "This is just more desert…" Paula soon walked up to his side.

"Ness, there has to be a reason still why we're here. Maybe we aren't there yet. To the sanctuary…" Ness's sigh was hopeless. He looked extremely tired of seeing this setting. But how could I blame him, we were all sick of it.

And if it could be any worse, if it could _possibly _get any worse, we were suddenly, in a flash, interrupted.

_Swooosh!_

We immediately blocked ourselves from the sudden gust of wind and dust that threatened us. Trying to peek my eyes, as long as my glasses didn't fly off, I could semi see.

A huge twister, twining and twining in front of us. It took about a half a minute for the tornado to finally settle down. And soon, all there that was left was the after wave of dust and sand.

As I opened my eyes again when I felt the air to be still, all of us were looking at a peculiarly aged man. He seemed to be dressed in rags, and patterned silk. His right side of his face was tattooed, by what seemed to be swirling stars. His eyes seem to twinkle. We were all taken aback at his appearance, and I was a little tentative on what his motives where. When he spoke, his words almost echoed into our minds.

"Well done," He spoke to us. "You've made it through the chamber, found the ancient treasure that shall guide you in your journey, and you now know what the apple of enlightenment wants from the four of you," He continued. That much, I knew. Still, what exactly was the apple of enlightenment? I was starting to think that I'd never know.

What surprised me was that, or maybe it shouldn't have surprised me, but Kato soon stepped forward, a soft look of awe on his features.

"We meet again, Prince Poo…" He spoke.

"Star Master," He replied, as he stood his ground in front of us three. He looked serious, I thought, especially as he kneeled down to him. The Star Master smiled, putting his hand up.

"No need," he spoke. Kato soon stood up.

"The stars foretold that we would meet here," He continued. "Did you notice?" Kato looked back to us, eyes finally meeting mine, and for a moment, he looked as if he was trying to tell me something. He turned to him.

"Yes, so I've seen," He replied. "I got the message clear in the vast desert sky." The Star Man hummed in approval.

"Then you know what must be done," He spoke. Kato took a moment before nodding, as he turned to us.

"Ness, Paula, Jeff… I must leave you three alone for a short while," he told us. Ness's arm's slouched down slightly.

_"What…?"_

"Poo must learn and master a new technique, in which will aid your quest. The storm of the stars. If Poo can master the star storm, that is when he may leave to find you again." Kato knelt down to Ness.

"Please forgive me," He spoke. "But I believe that it is most important that I learn the star storm. It will be much useful for our journey." He looked up to Ness. Then to Paula. Then to me.

Ness was still for a moment, at sort of loss at what to say then. It was already hot again, standing in the afternoon light in the desert again, this time the ground was flat, cracked and dry at least, but it was not much of a difference, I thought.

"Well…" Ness didn't look like he was easy to accept this, I thought. If Kato left, it would only be the three of us again. Alone. In the desert.

"I promise I will find you as soon as I'm finished," He spoke. Ness brought a hand to his cheek.

"And," He continued. "The training I've given Jeff will be most helpful as well." I almost wanted to rant at him, but I kept it back. He flashed me a small stare. Then a soft smile, before closing his eyes and standing up. "I'm sure you three will be fine while I'm gone."

"But… Kato…"

"Poo will return safely once he is done learning the star storm. But for now, we must go." Kato soon stood by the man. All three of us could only watch.

It was almost too soon, I thought. Right when I was starting to know him better…

"Well… guess this is good bye for now," he spoke.

"See… see you later…" Ness responded hushed before both the Star Master and Kato disappeared in a tornado before our very eyes.

When he left, Ness's overall mood was back to his pouty, almost depressed self.

In a sense, we all kind of where, including me.

Though I barely understood why.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxX

_The Universe Will Die Without You_

_Chapter 28 Dungeon Man_

XxxxxxXxxxxxxX_  
_

"Is that… what is that?" Ness asked anonymously, putting a hand on his forehead to guide his eyes.

In all honesty, I had no idea what it was. But it was huge.

"It looks like a statue of some kind…" Paula replied. A statue indeed it was… a statue, or a mirage.

But somehow, I didn't think it was so. I paused, digging through my bag as I let the hot metal that was my bazooka fall down onto the hard- cracked desert surface. Ness and Paula paused in their tracks.

I dug and dug until my fingers delicately touched the rim of my father's notes. Flipping through them, I ran into the small letter again, the one that was written to Brick Road.

_Hello again,_

_This is just another letter asking about how the dungeon man project is going. I've been very busy lately planning for the Phase Disorder Project on my end. From the looks of it, I'm confirming that it's more than possible at this point, and with it I can stop this nightmare-filled catastrophe once and for all. Either way, I hope you're doing well out there. I really hope you're less lonely in the Unforgiving Desert than I am back up in Winters. Isn't it ironic how different our forecasts are? If I'm ever stumped with my own project, I will contact you again to help me solve any puzzles that come along the way. I'd like for you to do the same, I request it. In the meantime, take care for me. And… if you ever see my son again, tell him I said hi… for me… will you? Please?_

_Your Good Friend, _

_Dr. Loid Andonuts_

"What is it, Jeff?" Paula asked me. My eyes trailed slightly, taking a moment to scan the letter twice while pausing at the name Loid a couple of times.

"Do you think we should head towards it?" I asked. "There might be some things there that we should find out." In a sense, I almost remembered seeing this place now. Wasn't this… wasn't this one of the places we randomly teleported to when Ness had his freak out? I remembered something abnormally big in the distance…

"It's really the only thing out here I can see that's worth going to," Ness replied shrugging. I glanced to him.

"I don't know, I'm still sensing that we aren't going in the best direction," Paula spoke. "But that could be the heat talking and not me…" I spent the time glancing over the note.

"Still…" I continued. "It might be just a hunch, but I have a feeling that it's something I've been meaning to see for a while now." Both Ness and Paula looked at me funny.

"I don't know… forget I said anything," I concluded, folding the note up and putting it in my pocket.

"No… I'll trust you, Jeff," Ness spoke. I glanced at him, almost cocking my head.

"You will?" This heat was going to start getting to my head if we didn't move quickly. Ness's smile was calm.

"Of course I will," He replied. I bit my lip. His trust for me had opened up drastically since his sickness, I thought.

"Well, let's not just stand here; let's get out of this heat…" Paula spoke, looking out to the big figure in the distance.

XxX

The three of us looked up.

When I mean up, I mean _up._

This thing was…

_"… Huge…"_ Ness muttered out loud.

"Almost creepy…" Paula commented. The thing was a gigantic statue, or so it seemed… part of it however, just by smelling the air, I could sense something mechanical from it. Looking up at some of the edges of its surface, I could see what looked to be oil dripping down the sides.

"I think… I think this is…" I pulled out the note again. _"… Dungeon Man."_

Paula and Ness both gave me skeptical looks after I said that. I shrugged.

"So… what now?" Ness asked looking back up. Good point, I thought.

"Erm…"

_"Is that you, Jeff?"_ A loud voice from some sort of microphone spoke startling all three of us.

_Erm…_

"Uhh… who's asking?" Ness responded by shouting. There was a short pause.

"This is Brick Road!" Brick Road replied. _So I was right,_ I thought…

"Jeff, Andonut's son, right? That is you down there amongst the three of you, right?" For some reason, I couldn't really say anything, all until Paula nudged me.

"Arrem… yeah, this is him," I replied. I tried looking to where the dang speaker was, but even when he spoke, I still didn't really know.

"I _knew _it was you! You have to come in and test out my greatest accomplishment! … And of course your two friends can come inside too," He spoke. _Inside…?_ I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me… Brick Road… _why?"_ I asked.

_Really,_ even if I barely knew the guy, I didn't get Brick Road at all. What was the point of a… _dungeon man?_ Nonetheless…

"It's got air conditioning," He responded. "Just find the key to the door hatch below, it should be duck taped on one of its legs," He told me. _Fool proof plan,_ I thought.

"Well if it has air conditioning…" Ness spoke. "Does this thing move?"

"Of course it moves! What is a man that can't move? Dungeon man is not one of those men!" _Uhuh…_

"Well…" I started to walk a good building's length to get to one of the dungeon's legs.

"Wrong leg Jeff, try the one towards your left," He replied. I inwardly groaned. _If only it wasn't so hot, _I thought. Ness and Paula had beaten me to the other leg as I caught up to them. Ness and Paula scanned the leg, but their eyes led them nowhere.

"Inside, try the thigh area!" Ness had walked over to where I was to help me scan over its thigh. Still to no avail.

"No no, inner thigh! Check the inner thigh!" He spoke.

"There!" Paula spoke, spotting the bright pink duck tape attached to the inner thigh of the dungeon.

"It's high up, someone's gonna have to give a boost," I said. Ness propped Paula onto his shoulders, and as Paula reached out to the tape, her fingers barely grazed the edges of it.

"I can't reach it," Paula spoke. I sighed.

"Alright, I'll give Ness a boost then," I said. Ness frowned slightly.

"Really?"

"Yeah?" Ness was slightly tentative as he put a foot on one of my shoulders. Raising him up, I almost felt like I would lose my balance, but Paula kept me steady for Ness to have time to peel the duck tape off.

"Got it! Catch, Paula!" Ness spoke as he dropped the key before Ness lightly slid down my back, almost clumsily before his hands grasped my shoulders as he lost balance. _Of course he drags me down with him! _ I thought quickly as my back accidentally landed on his stomach. Ness yelped slightly.

"Ness! You alright?" I asked rolling off of him. Ness chuckled slightly.

"Sorry bout that," He replied without getting up. "… This ground is burning my skin."

"I think you should get up," I told him, giving him a hand.

"Good idea, I was just thinking that," He replied as I helped him up. I looked at him in the face. When Ness looked back, he paused, before flashing me a cheeky grin with a tinge of discomfort.

"So what now?" Paula asked.

"Ok, you got the key? Go towards the front and you should see a small insertion there," He told us. I wanted to slap myself in the face.

Sure enough, there it was, in the worst place imaginable.

"Ok, all you have to do is insert it inside of the,"-

"I think we know how to use a key," I assured him. Paula handed Ness the key as he tried to insert the key into the lock.

Something startled Ness greatly as he jumped back, letting go of the key.

_"It… it just…"_ I looked at the key that was stuck in the hole.

This time not only did I slap myself in the face; I let it linger for just a few moments, muttering something on the lines of ridiculousness. Brick Road spoke to us again.

"Oh yeah, it does that… it's just the mechanism inside trying to open the door, just let it run for a second," He told us.

So we watched; literally, front seat view of the crotch of the giant moving dungeon man, as the key literally shook madly in front of us, still stuck inside of the key hole.

Paula was of course, in a sense, oblivious to the metaphor that was being produced in front of our eyes. Ness covered his, muttering something illegible to himself.

The shaking came to a sudden halt.

Nothing happened then…

We waited… and waited…

Still nothing.

"Did it open?" He asked. I growled slightly, flinging off my bag as I dug into it.

_"No,_ your vibrating key just _stopped,"_ I replied, pulling out the bad key machine. Stomping forwards, I literally yanked the long key out of the key hole and inserted the bad key machine again.

This time, even though I regretted it, I held on as the dungeon started to give off another strong shaking session. I bet my current position looked terrible, I thought as my face probably turned pale.

But to both my assumption and amazement, when the shaking stopped_, it actually did something._

A simple, rocky-like surfaced drop door appeared with a simple metal ladder going up. I looked blankly at the simple entry way. _That was the most complicated door to open ever,_ I thought.

"What did you do down there? Did it open?" Brick asked. I sighed.

"Yes…"

"Then what are you waiting for? Get inside!" He spoke to us. The three of us shot each other awkward glances.

_This better have been a good idea,_ I thought to myself.

XxX

I think we were all a little taken aback once we got inside.

"Welcome inside my body!" Brick Road spoke over the speaker. "Throughout this dungeon, you'll find lots of signs; make sure to follow them well without getting lost!"

_Welcome. You are inside of my body. …Brick Road_

My eyes darted ahead of us to the tunnel. At the other end was another sign he posted.

"So we follow the signs? So this is like a maze?" Paula asked.

"Precisely! Your destination is at the top of my body, my head," Brick Road spoke. My mouth curved down in annoyance.

He could spy _and_ listen in on us_,_ I thought. At least it wasn't as if Brick Road was a bad guy or anything…

"Excuse me, why are we doing this?" I asked. There was a laugh on the other side.

"Why, I've been waiting for you guys to show up," He told us. Really now?

"Why, may I ask?" Paula spoke out. "Do you need our help?"

"Yes… I really do in fact," He replied. "Just to test out my latest invention if you don't mind, I'd like to see what you guys think once you get up to where I am," He replied.

"How do we know you won't be our enemy once we get up to you?" Ness replied.

"Because I know what you three are doing, and I'd like to help you three out as long as you do this for me," He replied. Like waving the cookie in front of our eyes, I thought grumpily. Ness glanced at all of us funny.

"Did my dad tell you that?" I asked. There was a pause, followed by a small chuckle.

"Possibly. Possibly not. All I can say is that, unless if you want to keep walking in intense heat, you should meet me up here. Besides, this is the most fun I'll ever get out here," He spoke. I sighed.

"No tricks," Ness spoke to him.

XxX

_My statistics say that 70 percent of people go to their right first._ _…Brick Road._

Looking to both of our ways, we looked at each other.

"Is it a trap?" Ness asked.

"I have no idea…" I replied, glancing towards the left. "Let's maybe check this way first," I spoke. And so we did, walking our way from the left of the sign. Around the corner seemed to be another sign and a bench with a phone.

_If you check into this bench, it's just like checking into a hotel. …Brick Road_

The rest of the corner was a dead end. So we ended up going the other way, past the previous billboard.

_Keep this board in mind. …Brick Road_

_ Even though you can't get up there now, you might be able to later. …Brick Road_

"There's a bunch of signs," Paula spoke. Obviously.

_Your first goal is to reach the four ropes. …Brick Road_

Looking past that particular sign, I had a slight taste of what was to come. There were pathways leading upwards, others going down, and another going around the bend…

We decided to check the pathway upwards first, only to find ourselves at another dead end with another sign.

_You should have gone the other way. …Brick Road_

So when we backtracked back to the sign with the fork, we went the up path.

_Don't be a slacker… if you work hard, you'll get good stuff. ...Brick Road_

_ I couldn't agree more with the opinion on the left bill board. …Brick Road_

In the corner of this dead end, we encountered a plush bear just sitting there.

"It's so fluffy!" Paula exclaimed touching the plush bear. In my own world, I looked around the dungeon again. From there, I could see other pathways, eventually spotting out what looked like to be four ropes leading up to the next room.

"This path," I said. Ness followed, glancing out at the place.

"I hope this doesn't take forever," Ness pouted slightly. I shrugged.

"I doubt it. There's only so much two men can build within a year or so…" Even so, this was almost unreal. The last time, and only time I had seen Brick Road was back when I had first started… that hadn't even been a year ago, I thought.

"This is stupid…" Ness spoke.

"Couldn't agree more," I replied.

_"Hey, I heard that!"_ Brick Road spoke over the speaker. Ness and I exchanged glances and shook our heads.

After winding through the last path we could choose from, we made it to another sign, followed by the four ropes, each with their own bulletin.

_I built a bulletin board without a message. …Brick Road_

_The grass is always greener on the other rope… I wonder why that is… …Brick Road_

Four ropes, I thought.

"We could all go up a rope," Paula said.

"What if it's a trap," Ness replied.

"Ness, don't worry. I doubt Brick Road means us harm…" Ness was silent then, as we all sort of complied with our own rope. I ended up going up the second rope.

_Try again… Brick Road_

My floor was a dead end, so I went back down.

Turned out, Paula's rope was the right way to go, the third one down, as it led us up to the next floor of his dungeon.

_You are on the second floor of my body. …Brick Road_

The three of us looked out in front of us, and realized that the maze was becoming a little more intense now.

"Which way now?" Ness asked. I swallowed. There were up paths. Down paths. Paths everywhere, and the problem was that you could see all of them, but you couldn't distinguish a certain path from a certain distance.

"Let's try up first I guess…" I said.

We must have spent an hour trying to find our way around the place. Our first path was wrong, so we back tracked. We tried another path, and failed again. But at least we got ten dollars out of it.

"Damn it, this is becoming too tedious," I ranted, reading another one of his stupid signs.

When we finally did make our way through the _correct_ path, I sighed looking up at the ladder that lead to the next floor up.

_There are a lot of monsters up there, but don't stress out. …Brick Road._

"I'm hungry…" Ness complained. Paula sighed.

"Well, we won't be able to eat any lunch until we get to the top where Brick Road is," Paula replied. "Let's go."

The next floor seemed to be an exhibit of some sort.

_You are on the third floor of my body. …Brick Road_

There were old statues and objects, some in which were unidentifiable. When you looked across to other areas of the room, more of these things sat around. Then I looked to my left as we started walking up an incline.

There sitting restfully on its own pedestal was a yellow taxi. One that looked like the ones in Fourside. I exhaled slowly, as Ness seemed to catch on my tenseness.

"I'm sure it won't chase us…" Ness complied. "I don't sense anything evil in it."

_"Good riddance,"_ I responded without looking at him, walking away. Ness however had his eyes still across the way, almost as if he was eyeing something else. I followed his gaze, until I spotted another big yellow object, something bigger than the taxi.

"Is that…?"

"A submarine…" I muttered.

What was a submarine doing in this place? It was a fairly small submarine, small, round and yellow, with a window in front and a few on the side. The periscope curved on top of its body, looking out into the wall that it faced.

We soon disregarded it however, as we ran into the next, and hopefully last ladder.

_Good job! You finally made it! That's what the sign says above. …Brick Road._

XxX

When we made it to the top floor finally, we were greeted with what the sign below warned us about.

_Good job! You finally made it! … Brick Road_

I looked around us on the top floor. It was a small room, I thought, with two windows in the back of the room that looked out into the desert. There was a door on the opposite wall, the one we were closest to, with a small door latch. My eyes trailed up towards the top of the wall as Paula and Ness gasped. I chocked on my air once I saw why.

Brick Road looked straight at us, his face framed by the wall. He smiled before his face disappeared into the alcove his head was once in. We saw the small handle wiggle until he opened the door.

"Long time no see, Jeff," The man spoke as he emerged from the dark door frame. "I've been wondering when we'd meet again."

Brick road looked tired to say the least. Actually, he looked like a total mess from the last time I saw him. Either that or I just didn't pay him much thought. His dark viridian overalls were patched in oil, smudge and grime as well as his sweaty looking white shirt. He was balding slightly; his dark hair moving in every way possible. His black eyes darted between us curiously.

"So who are your friends again?" He asked me.

"Uhh."

"I'm Paula," Paula curtseyed.

"Ness."

"And Jeff. Your father,"-

"You don't have to continue," I replied, staring at him in the eye. The faster we could get this done, the less conflict, I thought.

"Ahh…" Brick Road seemed to be at a loss of words for a moment. We barely knew each other, I figured, he knew most of me from whatever stupid propaganda my dad threw at him.

"Don't mind Jeff," Ness intruded. I wanted to flash him a slight glare, but refrained myself from doing so. "So… what is this?" Brick Road smiled slightly.

"I already told you, it's Dungeon Man. Made possible by Dr. Andonuts's knowledge on mechanics and my ideas," He replied. "I couldn't have done it without him."

"Why'd he help you?" I asked him, crossing my arms.

"Jeff…" Ness muttered. Brick Road flashed me a grin.

"I knew the man. We've been friends for a while. He's my colleague." I see…

I wanted to say something. Just wasn't sure what yet…

"So, why were you tempted at… making this?" Paula asked.

"I wanted to make a dungeon I could be proud of. You could say that dungeons and mazes are sort of a fetish of mine, it's a strange obsession I admit, but I love to puzzle others. You could say that I like to create puzzles," He replied. "So Dr. Andonuts helped me with my,"-

"_Argh!"_ I threw my hands up finally_. Just hearing his name spoken out loud was enough for me to-! _ I walked away slightly.

"Jeff, is something…?"

"Just… don't talk about him," I told the man. The three of them watched me expectantly. Ness frowned.

"Jeff, don't…" He told me. I rubbed my scalp.

"I…" I glanced to the three of them. "Sorry… it just happened on impulse." Ness looked angry sadly… just a little bit. Paula looked a little worried, a tinge confused in a sense. Brick Road however, frowned.

"I… sorry Jeff, I didn't know you had… never mind." Brick Road looked as if he wanted to apologize, but really didn't know how. What did he know?

"No… I'm sorry," I spoke.

"Nah, really Jeff, I,"-

"I'm sorry. Let's just drop it." I snapped. Brick Road paused.

"Well alright…" Ness narrowed his eyes at me. I didn't dare look at him, fearing to start a new conflict between the two of us.

"Well… I know that… you three are obviously headed somewhere. Where to?" He asked.

"We're headed to…" Paula paused, closing her eyes. Ness grunted.

"We're not exactly sure… we just kinda… know along the way," Ness responded.

"Ahh… I see." For a moment, we all paused, as Paula was still in her state of deep thought.

"It's dark… deep darkness…" She replied. We all glanced at each other.

"Swampy… I don't think this place really has a name." Paula slowly opened her eyes, deep blue eyes in thought still. "Down south."

"I know!" Brick Road spoke. "I know what you're talking about! The swamps… why do you want to go down there exactly?" Brick Road didn't seem very keen on the idea, I thought.

"Well we…" Ness started.

"There's something there we need," I spoke up. "Surely you can help us get there, right?" I tried not to glare at him. I don't know if it came across like that though.

"Ah… Yes, I can help you three get there," he replied. Paula's face lit up.

"Really? That's great!" Ness however still seemed slightly unsure.

"Uhh… pardon me but, how exactly could you help us get there?" Ness asked. Brick Road laughed.

"We'll use dungeon man of course! He could use some exercise!" He spoke. "Plus he needs a good mobilization once and a while." I cocked my head.

"So this thing really moves?" I asked.

"Of course it moves," Brick Road replied. "You should see the control deck your dad loaded this thing with… er… yeah," He spoke, rubbing the back of my head.

"Sure I don't mind…" For some reason, it just came out without really thinking. I was curious, after all.

"You two kids wanna see the control deck as well? Come on back!" I let Ness and Paula lead the way before I complied soon after, as we followed him through the door way, climbing up a winding staircase to what seemed to be the control deck.

"Wow, you and Jeff's dad made this?" Ness spoke in awe.

"It's… I've never seen anything like this before!" Paula added.

The room had a steam punk feel, whatever that meant. The mechanics looked classic, but some gadgets and wheels kept running and spinning, pipes spewing out steam in a couple cracks here and there. Brick Road took a screw driver and fixed one of the pipes.

In the center of the room was the peephole of a periscope and in front of that periscope was what looked almost to be an exercising machine, an elliptical?

Brick Road stood on the machine, gripping both handles while biting his bottom lip.

"You wanna see this baby run or what?"

"More like…" Ness trailed off in mid thought, almost as if too embarrassed with what he was about to say. I think we were done with the perverted jokes that day.

"Well… unless if you wanna take the heat, you gotta ride," Brick Road said, as he let his foot take a step forward, moving the machine parts that were attached to his foot. And with each step, the dungeon man stepped forward.

I almost lost my footing at first, Ness catching me slightly as the dungeon man took its baby steps.

"Wooee! We'll get you three kids there in no time!"

"I hope you're right," Ness replied. "Thank you… you know you don't have to do this for us." Brick Road was silent for a moment, as he worked the machine; the dungeon man. Paula looked out the periscope.

"There's still nothing but desert," She commented.

"Heh, there's nothing better to do out here anyways! Besides… I know barely anything, but I know enough that you three are on an adventure, and I know how that feels. So does your father, Jeff," He spoke. I bit the inside of my lip. _What would he know about adventure_? I thought to myself.

"Also…"

I braced for the inevitable.

"Your father… your father says hi, Jeff. I don't know if you want to hear that or not, but he did," He spoke. Not knowing what emotion to convey, my response was slightly monotone.

"I know…" I took a moment and glanced back at Paula, who was still looking out of the periscope. Ness seemed to glance at me slightly, before looking away. Then with the feeling of being caught, he didn't really know how to act it seemed, so he just glanced back, and smirked apathetically.

"You know?" Brick asked. I frowned.

"I… I guess."

XxX

It was a long while as we rode in the dungeon man. While the motions that the massive machine created simulated like a rocking boat, I wasn't in the mood for sea sickness. I could hear the mechanics working and moving, all throughout the room, above, and way below. It made me feel small in a sense. However, instead, my thoughts were focused onto something deeper, as my eyes scanned my father's notes again.

After about five minutes of looking through them, I frowned, sighing.

I blinked a million times as I dropped my booklet, discovering Ness's face in front of mine.

"You feeling ok?" He asked me. I looked at him before shrugging his gaze off.

"I don't know," I replied. Ness's frown was slightly hurtful, I thought.

"You don't?" He asked.

"Yeah." Ness was now squatting down at my level now. I had been sitting against the wall on the room right below the control deck. He leaned his jaw in his hand as he let his eyes judge me for a moment. I sucked in my lips slightly.

"What?" I spoke with slight annoyance and embarrassment. Ness shrugged.

"Nothing, just looking at you for a moment." I almost snorted at that. Whenever Ness would tell me something like that, it sent a small chill every time. I knew he had something on his mind. My heart thumped slightly.

"Well it's kind of making me uncomfortable…" I told him with a slight hushed tone. Ness frowned.

"Is it your dad again?" He asked. I looked away.

"I… yeah," I replied. Ness sighed, finally sitting down in front of me.

"Where's Paula?" I asked.

"Still looking out of that periscope, she loves it for some reason," He chuckled. I was slightly unresponsive, taking another glance at the booklet in front of us.

"It's just, you don't really seem to like Brick Road much… he's being so helpful and all… couldn't you imagine what it would have been like crossing that desert again?" I sighed.

"I know, I know…" I could literally feel bags form underneath my eyes, and I started to notice Ness's as well. It was almost as if this conversation alone lead to that. Ness finally frowned.

"I don't get it," He continued. "It seemed like back in Fourside, you were ready to tell me anything, but now…"

My heart sank slightly.

"Ness I…" Ness didn't seem angry however… just worried.

"I don't know what to say," I told him. "It's just being in this machine… has left me speechless." Ness opened his eyes slightly.

"Why is that?"

"I just don't understand; just don't get how Brick Road and my dad could have… made this thing all by themselves. _During my existence._ It's as if my dad was willing to help out his friend thousands of miles away in the desert… while he wouldn't visit me in just a matter of just a few." Ness sighed, finally bringing his hands away from his face to look at me again.

"My dad doesn't visit much anymore," He spoke. "Sometimes I wonder if he's changing into a telephone. Jeff, at least you've finally seen him again and he's helped you out a little bit, right? I mean, I know my dad gives me allowance and stuff but yeah."

It seemed like my point wasn't strong enough, I thought.

"I guess you're right," I told him. Still though… from what Debbie had told me, Ness's father loved them. Even when he was angry and drunk from his stress at work.

"I can't… I can't promise anything specific between you and your dad, but I can only hope that things will get better between the two of you," Ness started to stand up. "Just give Brick Road a chance, hmm?" Ness smiled and winked at me. I could only smile back.

It was nice to know that even after our little encounter in Fourside, that he was respecting my own space.

"Thanks, Ness," I smiled back. Ness's reaction was slightly priceless, as he was taken aback from my sudden smile, reflecting a cheeky one in return while rubbing the back of his head.

"How do you think Kato's doing?" He added. Somehow my thoughts processed the discussion we had that night.

"I think as long as we pull through, he will too," I told him. Ness seemed to like that response.

"Aight, let's just keep going forward then!" Ness walked through the door, up the winding stair case. I sighed once I was by myself again in that room, skimming through the notes again. I was starting to doubt them.

_Is there any secrets in these notes my father's willing to share at all?_

XxX

It had been at least almost a day before we had made a significant progress across the desert. We had passed the pyramid we came out of miles ago, and throughout the whole ride, I was silent, and blank minded. Paula eventually slept in the cock pit on the ground, cuddling with Mr. Ziggy. Ness had been dosing off until he fell asleep himself.

This was all after our small lunch break when Brick Road had to stop from the exercise and eat something. All he had was a microwave and TV lunches, I thought. We all ate together; Brick Road was somewhat a loud eater, I thought.

"So, you kids exploring the world or something?" He asked us. Ness looked amongst us.

"You could say that," Ness shrugged.

"That's cool, I like adventures," Brick Road said. And every time, _every time_ he looked at me, I knew he wanted to bring my dad up somehow. But somehow, he didn't do that… I must have been intimidating or something. I was quiet through the whole conversation, partly not even present on what they were speaking of.

I didn't know why, but ever since my eyes scanned the letter the second time as we approached dungeon man, my mind couldn't stop drifting off into subliminal thoughts. It was starting to even trouble Paula, I thought, every time she saw me. The same thought… that same question…

Just how my dad wrote the letter. Was there something he wanted to say besides just hi? Part of me told me something on the lines of, _well your dad is just trying to be nice to hide his dickish self, don't pay any mind._ Then there was that other side… that other side I never wanted to admit or believe existed.

It was almost as if part of me wanted to desperately reach out and grab him by the collar of the neck forcefully and… say hi back to him or something… And every time such thoughts appeared in my mind, I punched myself in the forehead, muttering something stupidly illegible, even to myself. I eventually held my forehead, trying to figure myself out. I didn't know… I didn't know…

"Alright… I don't think this thing goes further. And sadly, this thing can't swim… yet," Brick Road commented. His comment woke the other two up. Paula blinked, rubbing her eyes.

"Goes any further? What do you mean, Brick Road?" She asked. Paula got up and looked out the periscope. Then Ness. Then I, admittedly.

We were not too far off from what looked like to be the beach. But a couple hills blocking the way stopped the dungeon man from progressing completely.

"You might want to go off here, and maybe see if there's a path you can take to where you need to go," Brick Road said.

"Do we have to take the long way out?" Ness asked, almost disappointedly. Brick Road finally got off of the machine, jumping down from the platform. He rubbed his nose; his skin glistening in sweat and grime.

"You take the temporary good-bye exit," He said. "Follow me!" Brick Road practically slid down the winding railing of the stair case, as we just walked them down.

"Down this ladder, see? Just keep climbing down to each floor, and you'll get down there in no time!" The three of us looked down the ladder; it was dark.

"It's not like we've never climbed down a dark ladder before," Ness commented. "Aight, should we come back?" Ness asked Brick Road. Brick Road rubbed his chin as he looked out the round window.

"Yeah, report back to me and see if you can make any progress without me from now on," He told us. Ness smiled.

"Thanks Brick Road. We'll be back soon then!" Ness started to climb down the ladder as well as Paula, whom gestured me to tag along.

"Hope your journey's a successful one, Jeff," Brick told me. I looked at him, not quite knowing what I should respond with. I just ended up grunting, as I climbed down after them.

"Poor kid," I heard him say as I was already engulfed in darkness.

XxX

When we made it outside again, I came to the conclusion that I missed the air conditioning in dungeon man. The air all around us waved; it was a sensation that I had forgotten temporarily.

Walking in the desert again was not fun. But the closer we came to the edge of it, the more I could feel the ocean breeze again. It started to smell like the beach, but too hot and dry to identify it. There was almost a scent of rot in the air as well.

By the time we had started to hit the greener parts of the desert, looking back at Dungeon Man, he seemed small again, but not nearly as small as the first time we identified him from a distance.

But when we got to the shore of the ocean, I watched Ness as he took a hand and looked beyond the ocean; the river of salt.

In a near distance, there was more land. Land covered in moss, and deep greens and purples, and everything underneath seemed almost too dark to know what was happening. In a sense, in a distance, I could see gray clouds forming in, over the horizon.

"That must be it… Paula, what do you think?" Paula looked out into the distance as well.

"It has to be, what else could it be?"

Looking at the water however, I felt a new lump in my throat.

"So… crossing it?" I asked. There was no boat… I guessed it was swimming distance… if only I could swim and that I didn't actually fear the water.

"What about that submarine we saw on the third floor? Could that get us across?" Ness mentioned.

_The submarine,_ I thought. Of course…

"You're a genius, Ness," I spoke in relief.

XxX

"Brick Road!" Ness shouted up as we looked at the massive statue again at the crotch level.

"Is that you again, Ness? You three come back again? Did you find a dead end?" Brick Road asked over the speaker. I rubbed the back of my neck.

"We see where we need to go, but there's a huge body of sea water in our way, and Jeff can't swim!" Paula shouted up. I shot Paula a sheepish glare.

_"Hey!"_

"Do you think that submarine you have… I think it's a submarine, is it a submarine, Jeff?" Ness asked me. I chuckled.

"Yes, Ness, it's a submarine," I replied. There was a long humming sound across the speaker.

"The problem is that it needs repairs," Brick Road responded. The three of us slouched our shoulders slightly.

"Erm… is it fixable?" I asked. There was a pause.

"Possibly. Are you willing to fix it if it can?" He asked me. Uhh…

"… Possibly?" Brick Road again was silent.

"Nah, I won't make you fix it alone, I'll help you," He added. _Ugh…_

"That's ok, I'd,"-

"You really think you can fix it, Jeff?" Ness smiled cutely at me. _Double ugh!_

"I'm pretty sure it isn't too hard to figure out,"-

"Alright, let's go get to that submarine then!" Paula said, as Ness timidly opened the hatch to get back inside of the dungeon man. I bit my lip.

_What did I just get myself into?_

XxX

"Hmmm…" Brick Road looked around the small yellow submarine, as if trying to remember something. He finally made his way to the back of it, opening up a hatch on the other side. All of us followed him slowly, as I watched him fumble with the submarines insides. Something in my mind told me to pull out those notes, so I did. However, when I started to even open the notes, Brick Road made another grunt.

"I remember what he said now," He said, standing back, oil now covering his hands, as he smeared it across his cheek.

"What seems to be the problem?" Paula asked.

"The connection is busted from back here to the cock pit of the submarine," He replied. "But I think the problem runs on both sides. It might take a long time if I did this by myself." I frowned.

"Aww no, really?" Ness asked. "I… I mean, not to put any pressure on, but I would like to get there asap…"

"Either way, this thing will help us cross, right?" Paula asked. Brick Road cleared his throat.

"Of course it'll help you guys… if I can fix it well enough," He replied. "I'm not really a mechanic after all; usually the Doc helps me out…" Brick Road rubbed the back of his neck while chuckling. For some reason, now that I was looking at him, compared to when I had first met him in Winters and when we first spotted him inside the dungeon man, he was more bubbly. Now it looked as if he was slightly worn down. I bit my tongue.

"I'll help you," I told him. The three of them looked at me, slightly at awe. I paused as well.

"…What? I said I'd help, so I'll help," I emphasized. "I'll help you fix the submarine." Ness finally cracked a soft smile, but Brick Road on the other hand looked slightly tentative. But accepting.

"Well… if you'd really like to, I'd love that," He replied. "I didn't think you'd be willing to help though… you know…" I know?

"Oh… well, I'll help," I told him again. "If you don't mind, we have a mission to attend to, so the faster this is done, the sooner we can leave." It shouldn't be too hard, I thought. After reading all of those textbooks on my free time during Maxwell's time out's, I'm pretty sure I stumbled upon at least one book or section dedicated to submarines. Hopefully my memory would serve me well despite.

"Well… alright, Jeff. I guess maybe we should eat something and get to work, yeah?" I glanced both at Ness and Paula. Paula's cheeks spread as she smiled, while Ness's smile was still soft, but meaningful.

"Yeah…"

Still, I think I was slightly regretting it.

XxX

It was late at night, I thought grumpily as I checked my watch. Ness and Paula did nothing but sleep today, I thought. It wasn't the fact that I couldn't but it was more the fact that… I don't know.

All of us were on the third floor where the submarine was, but Ness and Paula found a nearby, but private corner to go camp out on and sleep. I wiped my eye clean of the sleep goop that was manifesting underneath my eye, reaching underneath and lifting my glasses in the process. Then I ran the other tired hand through my hair, and left it there, as I gazed at the area I was working on, in the front of the submarine.

But working on it on my end really wasn't calming my nerves. _Not at all,_ I thought. In fact…

I slammed one of the tools I held onto the ground, and picked up another, wrenching in a loose joint. Brick Road on the other side of the sub seemed to look over from the other end to check if everything was ok. I tried ignoring his gesture, frantically searching my tool box for the right tool to fix the problem. And while I tried most of them, none of them seemed to really help. I could only watch the pipe, as a substance would drop out every minute or so.

"Here," Brick Road startled me, as I blinked fiercely. I looked up to him, his golden-tan skin was covered in grime and oil as his arm held out a certain wrench that I was missing. I compared it to my problem, all before slowly hesitantly reaching out to him. Instead however, he took the wrench back, and instead knelt down beside me, to fix the problem himself. I snorted after a blank trance of thought.

"I could have fixed that you know…" I told him. I watched as he silently continued, tightening the gap until it was sealed again.

"There, good as new," He said, standing up. "If we keep things up, you three will cross the river in no time." I kept silent slightly, almost as if I was trying to avoid him in any way possible. But I just knew that Brick Road was going to try and keep the conversation going. He looked down.

"That book…" He said. "That's the same booklet that Andonuts had when he was here you know," He said. I frowned, turning my head.

"So what?" Brick Road knelt down, picked up the small booklet and thumbed through it.

"It's just very valuable and rare," He continued. "He was always brilliant, even when we were little," He continued. I blinked slightly.

"You… knew him?" I asked. "You knew my dad when you were younger?" Brick Road finally sat down, chuckling slightly.

"You'd be surprised. We've practically known each other since kindergarten," He continued. "He was in to physics and science. I was into puzzles and mysteries. We were always making stuff back then." I finally brought a knee up to my chest.

"I see…" I didn't know what I was thinking then. All I knew was nothing, and that whatever he was telling me just didn't seem…

"Of course, there was a time when he had to move away," he continued. "Just a town over, but we couldn't go to school with each other anymore, and we didn't talk much the times we were away from each other and,"-

-"Wait." I stopped him. Brick Road frowned.

"You don't like it when I talk about him, do you?" He finally said. I finally looked at him in the eyes. They were deep brown, deep and sincere, as if all of his goofiness had been set aside and what he was saying then seemed real.

"I…" I didn't really know what to tell him. Tell him that I've barely seen my own father? That we've never really bonded, or known any of his stories when he was younger, or…

"I… I just never knew that you knew him that well," I finished. "Even I don't know him… as well as you do." Brick Road paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out what I was saying.

"You know Jeff… if there's anything you want to know about your father, you know you can ask me," He finally said. I paused for a moment, thinking. There really wasn't much to think of, besides the few times I've seen him. I didn't even dare bring up our lovely reunion. But my mind kept trailing back to that letter.

"Is… is my dad's name really Loid?" I asked. Brick Road took in a breath through the nose.

_"Loid… _Loid. It's been forever since I've heard anyone refer to him as that," He said. I frowned.

"But why, if that really is his name, why isn't there any documents about him… stating his real name? If it were any other doctor or scientist, I'm sure they'd state their real name… why not him?" Brick Road thumbed through the pages, until he found the small scribbled letter.

"I'm not exactly sure. Maybe he just wants to leave a part of him behind. Maybe he just can't stand his name being said anymore," He explained. "Even I'm not exactly sure, but…"

"But…" I continued.

"They used to pick on him in school, you know," He continued. I raised an eyebrow.

"Who wasn't picked on in school?" I countered. However, Brick Road shook his head.

"No… he was bullied," he continued. I frowned.

"So? I was too, but I wouldn't avoid my name…" I trailed off, thinking about it for a second. Then my mind went blank suddenly.

_Wasn't there plenty of times when I wished I either was someone else, or just wished I could just disappear?_ I frowned.

"No, he was bullied to where he'd be hiding. All the time. He still won't tell me exactly what kinds of things the kids would do to him at school, but it was enough for him to hide in trash cans and dumpsters," he continued.

"Did you two go to boarding school too or something?" I asked him. Brick Road shook his head no.

"Then he would have had a home to go to at least, right?" Brick Road yet again shook his head.

"His mother left her husband when he was very young. On her own, from what Loid told me… she didn't have the money to support him. And Loid's father was either never around; or too busy, or just told him to be a man and not be such a wimp about it." I could feel the lump in my throat, sinking deeper and deeper, until it rested right above my stomach.

"And don't get me wrong, his father was successful, before he died of lung cancer. But he died much later, at a time where he was better fending for himself. After all he,"- Brick Road paused for a moment, before looking at me.

"I'm sorry, is this making you feel uncomfortable?" He asked me.

It was. But it was a kind of hurt that I had been wanting more of; apparently, as I glanced up to him, and then glanced down.

"No… it's interesting just trying to affiliate any of this with him," I told him.

"Right…" Brick Road flipped through the notes again.

"Anything in particular you're trying to find?" I asked him. "I… I don't quite understand them yet." Brick Road smiled, putting the book down.

"Possibly. Apparently…" He gestured with his hand, holding the book up to his nose.

_"The_ Frizzy Doc Andonut secret is in here," He told me. "It's the only thing he's ever written that supposedly reveals such a secret, and it's _this_ secret that makes every single one of his inventions a success… including Dungeon Man." I bit my lip, slightly taken aback from the news.

"Then…" I continued. "He left that on purpose… in the sky runner," I started thinking out loud.

"I'm not quite sure yet what his secret is," He continued. "But he told me one day, one day when I came over to his house. You weren't even around yet, I don't think." I begged him not to bring up anything else about my younger childhood, I thought deep down.

"He was like, _this is the answer I've been looking for all my life. This is the key to everything; I should have seen it before!_ Since then, he was everywhere, and that's how his reputation evolved. No one knows what his secret is, not even me, I can't even decipher this and I'm a certified puzzle genius. He still won't tell me…_"_ Now I was _itching_ to rip the booklet out of his hands. Just to frantically search the damn thing for his answer.

"He…" I spoke. My heart thumped as I looked at the booklet in his hands. The key to his scientific success. Something not even the text books would reveal. All carefully encoded in that small black leather booklet. The only such booklet in the entire world…

"He left that for me… he wants me to find out what his secret is!" It was as if there was a slight, new motivation provoking inside of me. With that _secret_, I thought… maybe I could fix the bazooka… _fix anything._

"Yeah… I'm sure if anyone could figure it out, it would be his own son," He smiled. We were both silent for a moment.

"Let me show you something." Brick Road stood up, walking towards his end of the submarine, and walked back with his own books of notes and what not. My eyebrows perked up as he knelt down to my level.

"This dungeon man project wasn't a new idea, if you were wondering. This was something we've always wanted to create when we were younger," He continued as he flipped through his notes, all until he ran into a carefully folded big piece of paper.

"But it wasn't brought up again as a possible project, not until he spoke to me nearly ten years later, and showed me this." Brick Road unfolded the big piece of paper until it became a poster; a diagram. He carefully placed the diagram on the floor, as my eyes carefully scanned the image.

It was a drawing. A sketch of what seemed to be a robot, etched out in red and black pen. Notes, very few, but notes were scribbled here and there, as a ruler stretched from one edge of the paper to the other, measuring to be about eleven meters. The robot sort of looked like your typical robot, but at the same time had its own unique features. The head was pointy on each side, and it had long, thin flexible looking limbs, and what seemed to be a round core in the stomach area, notes pointed to this specific area in particular. My eyes scanned the capitalized letters at the bottom of the page:

_E.V.E._

"What… is this?" I asked him.

"Apparently, this was someone Loid met… twenty years ago," he explained. I raised an eyebrow, scanning the diagram again. Brick Road rubbed his stubbed chin.

"I think he was in love with her in a sense, haha… not in a romantic way, just emotionally. Apparently she saved his life, and whoever else he was with… when he was out and all. But in return, she risked her life for them…" I bit my lip painfully at the phrase, _risking her life._ It was hard just trying to absorb the diagram, and trying to picture her in a real light.

"So you… he tried to recreate her… and thus dungeon man…" Brick Road finally frowned, as if wanting to put the diagram away.

"Sad thing was… Loid wasn't very pleased with our results," He continued. "Even if he knows this almighty secret, he just couldn't seem to recreate her… the way she was and all," he continued. "So we just stuck with our original plan and finished it. If only I knew… if only I saw what he saw when…" My heart always skipped beats whenever he trailed off like that.

"You said something earlier that I wanted to hear the rest of. What were you trying to say about him?" I asked. Brick Road finally looked serious, rubbing at his face, sighing as he turned to me.

"You really wanna know?" He continued. "I don't know if you'd want to believe me."

"Please…" I immediately said. "… You're telling me more about him than he ever could." Brick Road chuckled again slightly.

"Sounds like him," he replied. Then we sat there in silence again.

"Well… what can I say? He was having adventures, just like you are right now."

He was right, I thought. I didn't want to believe him, as I scanned the parchment. But then yet… somehow, I expected him to say something on the lines of that. My mind drifted back to when I was a child, and how I listened in on my dad's frightened voice.

_"Something horrible will happen to the planet in approximately 20 years."_

"Of course, as he would put it, it was about him and his friends saving the world and all," he continued. "I still don't really know what he means by that."

I finally, without thinking, was holding myself in a ball position, hugging my knees as the new information; the new reality started to sink into my skin. It was as if answers to questions I had never asked had suddenly been answered for me right off the bat… but the questions I've been holding in for so long were still left lingering in the air. It made me feel weak in a sense… and I didn't realize that my voice had started to shake.

But this… what was happening to me right now… was it linked? It… had to have been…

"Did you…" I started. But I had a hard time connecting my mind with my words right now, without a slur of mess spitting out. Brick Road started to take note of this, but I didn't look at him. I gripped my sleeve tightly, sinking my chin into my knees, focusing on nothing, _so hard_ it hurt.

"Did you ever meet her… my mom…" Brick Road paused for a moment, as I was sure he was studying me.

"Yes… I met your mother," He replied. "Just once, never caught her name, or any other information, but I have met her," He continued. I swallowed hard.

"A… and?"

"Unreal," he continued. "She was gorgeous. Just completely unreal," he continued. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Can you describe her for me? What.. what did she look like?" I focused my ears on his words and his voice, as I heard him breathe slightly.

"Long… light, bright wavy blond hair, reaching down to just above her waistline. Skin of ivory with a light dusting of freckles on her shoulders and face. She was wearing some sort of lacy button up top and a flowery skirt. And a hat…"

Placing the pieces together in my mind, they seemed to fit well. Just missing a few details.

"A killer smile and… her eyes were enough to make you weak in the knees," He continued. "At least that what I felt like when I saw her."

"I don't know if this is something you'd like to hear from me, but wow, I'd like to know how he hooked up with her," He said. "But…"

I was completely silent then. Bitter… just a blank bitterness in the aftertaste of what he was just telling me.

_It's just so many things_, I thought. So many things that this man knows about my family that I…

"Then they had you," He finally said. "And I barely heard from him or her again after he was telling me how happy he was when you were born."

_…What?_

I held my head, as if someone threw a brick.

"That must have been a time when I was too young to even think on my own," I told him. "Besides, even still, he barely knows anything about me." There was a long pause.

"Even if Loid spends too much time in his _'void'_ as his bullies would call it… he knows enough about you to love you," he continued. I shivered violently.

"What are you talking about? He's far from loving me…"

_"I hate you…"_ He spoke in my mind.

"There was never a time in my entire life that he loved me. Not once. He was never there for me. He never cared for me. And when it came down to the fact that he was forced to care for me, he abandoned me instead… threw me into a boarding school, and left me there for ten years…" I was rambling by then, and I wasn't sure if he could hear me or not.

"It was never about abandoning you," he told me. "He hated the idea_." Propaganda at its finest,_ I thought.

"If he hated the idea of throwing me in such a situation, then why'd he do it?" I asked him bitterly. Brick Road, on the corner of my eye, rubbed the back of his neck.

"You see, people like Loid and I… we don't make good role models as fathers," He told me. "Since he was barely parented or paid attention to by his own father, he really didn't know, or learn how to do the job himself when the time came." I took in a deep, slow breath, and let it out slowly. Shakily.

"So he didn't want to be my father. He didn't love me. That's why he threw me out," I continued.

"He'd never throw you out… or abandon you. He did the best he could, he…" Brick Road finally got the sense that I really hated the direction of this conversation.

"Dad doesn't love me. He never has. Never will…" It was about time that Brick Road had started to become shaken up as well.

"You… _you are so wrong,"_ he responded. I squeezed my eyes shut at the response. "In fact… I can't believe how wrong you are." My blood turned to a boil.

Finally, I turned. I snapped. Blood shot, everything just slurred out, like an angry, unorganized rant that I had been holding in for ages.

"I _ruined_ his _life._ I _killed_ his _wife_. I make some _silly_ sand structure for him; he tears it down. I wait… _every day_ for the _majority of my life_ to hear just a phone call from him… _if he loves me so much, then why doesn't he just __**fucking tell me?"**_ I was now glaring at him, eyes stinging from the battle of keeping back my tears. I couldn't read his expression, I couldn't…

"Why in the world… would he give a _**flying fuck**_ about me…"

"…"

"Besides, he told me himself. _**He hates me…**_ _so why do I even try…"_ I was losing my battle, as the waterworks started slowly. My eyes, they hurt so much…

"No, Jeff…" He continued. _"He loves you. So much."_ I could only glare at him; I probably looked hideous as those multiple fluids leaked out of my eyes, my nostrils…

_"Prove it…"_

"I don't have to…"

_"And __**why not?"**_

"Because Jeff… you're the only thing he has left."

It was that simple phrase. _That simple…_ such a simple arrangement of words that felt like a bull's-eye to the heart… to my already shattered mind.

I was beyond thinking straight anymore. I couldn't say anything more. Anything less.

Brick Road finally placed the booklet in front of me, as he took the poster of E.V.E. away. I could barely register the booklet now, however, and the next thing that Brick Road tried telling me.

"Well Jeff, it's late. Let's resume tomorrow, I don't think you're in the mood for solving mechanics anymore right now anyways," He told me.

I… _I…_

He knew well enough that I was still; as silently as possible, weeping. Breaking down, and falling apart. It was as if fixing the submarine cost my own repairs to go a bust.

"Hey…" Brick road placed his palms on my shoulders, patting them and letting go.

"Whatever you've been telling yourself… I can't stop you from thinking the way you do. But know that I'm not lying. Even if you don't want to believe it, know I'm telling the truth." He stood up, and winked at me.

"Good night…"

…

I said nothing back, as I spent at least an hour staring into blank space, trying to put my mind back together.

XxX

"So…"

Short transition, is all I can say. I fell asleep, got barely enough rest to prep me for the work in the morning. Ness and Paula however, played bus boys, as they'd go and find appliances and or props from certain parts of the dungeon. One time, they even had to break off a part of the dungeon man, in order to replace a missing part in the submarine.

Overall, I was calm. Quiet, but calm.

"Hmm?" Brick Road and I had been working in the same spot together for the past half hour in silence. His half was easy, and it seemed like it was ready to go.

"Did you know that Loid has an apprentice?" I don't know why I started calling my dad Loid… it started to become natural to me suddenly. And I didn't feel as bitter towards him when I referred to him with his real name. Was it because it made him more human and it comforted me? I wasn't sure…

"Yeah, I think he told me a little bit about his apprentice," He replied. "That chubby college kid… Apple Kid is what he goes by if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yeah…" There was a moment of silence between us as we tried untangling some of the wires in the compartment we were in.

"He kind of stinks, I've heard," He added. I chuckled.

"I can only imagine. I've never seen him before, only talked to him over phone."

"But yeah, I don't know much, but I've heard some good things about Apple Kid… and how he's not completely pushy. Andonuts doesn't like pushy characters. I'm glad that he picked up on the offer though…"

"You mean, Loid accepting his acquaintance?"

"Yeah. He really needs someone to talk to, at least once and a while. So he doesn't go completely anti-social. That wouldn't be very good," He added. However, my thoughts suddenly trailed into a different location.

"… What about Orange Kid?" I suddenly blurted out.

"What about him?" I brought my finger to my mouth, feeling the need to bite its skin.

"… I can only guess that Apple Kid and Orange Kid have been neck to neck before but… I can't help but think that Orange Kid is up to no good against us." Brick Road hummed, as he found an appliance.

"Hmmm. He does kind of sound familiar, but I have yet to know what kinds of inventions he's come up with." I bit my lip.

"He wants to find a way to un-boil eggs… doesn't that just sound odd to you?" I asked.

"Unless if he's trying to use the boiled eggs, and try to find a method to either convert them to a previous time, or time travel…" Half of Brick's mind was occupied as I looked at him.

_Time travel…_

_…!_

"Loid's doing the exact same thing…" I mentioned. "Something about… a _Phase Disorder."_ Brick Road smiled.

"I knew he'd eventually get to that time machine theory of his," he replied. "He won't tell me why though." I had a hunch why he was doing it… but I didn't bring it up in the conversation.

"However… Loid's got something that Orange Kid doesn't have," He continued. "If anyone can figure out the problem to that science experiment, it's Doctor Andonuts."

For some reason, I smiled at that statement.

"… Maybe you're right." But then… if this was Orange Kid's purpose… then _why_ was he doing it? Why did he have our eyes on us for so long? I shook my head.

"Hey, I think we're almost done," Brick said. "However we fix that, we'll,"-

For some reason, I had a feeling I knew where to start with our last problem, so I reached in. Grabbed the last loose wire, and somehow welded it into the socket it needed to go in.

"Hand me that tube that Ness found," I said. Brick Road slowly complied.

"Well, alright, Jeff," he replied. I took the tube, and found the area where it needed to be stuck in. Now it was all a matter of tightening the area, and sealing it off, and then from our calculations, it would have been done.

"Almost…" I grunted, sticking out my tongue as I smelt the metallic warm scent of gears and wires, as my hand burned from twisting the wrench around as tightly as I could.

"Hey! Look at that, you figured that out with no problem!" Brick Road said, slapping my back with laughter. "And you didn't even need your fathers note's or anyone's notes to do it!" I could only smile slightly, with a small snort.

"It's nothing… I just remember a few things from school." Brick Road looked at me for a moment, leaving his goofiness to the side momentarily.

"You know, you're a smart kid, Jeff. And it's not just because of Loid, but because you yourself are a bright kid," He continued. Baww…

"I don't know…" I rubbed the back of my head, feeling sheepish and shy.

"I… I finally retrieved the sandwich you left behind…" Ness and Paula approached us, tired and pooped out from all the running around they did together. I waved my arms above my head towards them.

"Hey, I think we're done!" I said. Paula took a moment to collapse to the floor while Ness supported himself on his knees.

"Brick Road, you should invest in an elevator or something, how can you stand living in a place like this?" Ness asked. Brick Road cast me a glance.

"It's my greatest accomplishment. It's my completed goal, and a vow of friendship. Therefore, it's my home," He added, winking to me as he stood up, and claimed the sandwich.

"Thank you, Ness and Paula," He added. He took a bite out of his sandwich and looked at the submarine and paused.

"Now that we fixed it, we should probably move this thing somehow…"

All of us felt like falling over in exhaustion from that statement.

XxX

"Well…" Brick Road started, as we came about the coast with the 3,000 pound or so submarine. "We made it."

We decided to wait another night before scouting out. I spent most of that day sleeping and catching up on my thoughts. Once and a while exchanging glances at a curious Ness from the distance. Things have been awkward between us lately, I thought.

It turned out that Brick Road did have an elevator of some sort, at least one that would help us get the damn submarine out and onto the hard desert dirt. He had the thing propped on a platform with wheels, and from there we all tugged the damn thing across the desert. It wasn't fun, but at least it wasn't as hot during the night.

And now it was almost breaking dawn, as we looked out to the next area we were bound to go through. I wondered where and when we'd meet up with Kato again?

"You think you can drive it?" He asked me. I looked at the water, intimidated by it at first. However, something new awakened inside of me, something that made me turn to him and smirk.

"Piece of cake," I told him. Brick Road could only smile, as he held out a hand.

"Then two minds apart from now on then," He told me. I collided my hand firmly into his, and kept it there for a moment.

We had pushed the submarine into the deep, salty water. Ness and Paula climbed on top of the submarine.

"Hurry, Jeff!" Ness told me. "Maybe we can make it there before the sun rises completely!" I knew Ness wasn't trying to rush me, but I knew that he was becoming very anxious. I couldn't blame him though; I was so effing sick of the desert!

"Oh, and Jeff…" I turned to Brick Road as I started to climb on the submarine. I looked back at him, not with glaring eyes, but with open eyes. Open for interpretation.

"… Figure out those goddamn notes, will you?" He added. I smiled, and waved.

"Consider it done," I told him. Because I knew deep down inside, that was my destiny; if I had one. I would figure out those notes, and I would find out what Loid's secret really was. I climbed on top, until pausing, looking out into the distance. The salty breeze blew past my bangs as my mind was in deep thought. I turned around.

"Will I ever see you again?" I asked. Brick Road crossed his arms.

And winked at me. Then turned around and walked away, waving the back of his hand towards me. I paused, a smile creeping up onto my features.

"Jeff, what are you doing up there?" Paula giggled. I watched for a moment, as Brick Road walked back, seeing way in the distance, the dungeon man. An attempt on E.V.E. but instead becoming its own thing.

It was never going to be E.V.E. I thought. It was always going to be what Brick Road and Loid envisioned in their youth. I sighed.

"Alright alright, sorry I've been neglecting you two for so long," I laughed lightly, climbing into the submarine.

Crossing the river _was_ a piece of cake, I thought.

And it only took a little motivation and confidence to prove it.


End file.
